Seasons of War
by Khyron56
Summary: When Percy is murdered by a mysterious assassin, all of Olympus finds itself thrown into a war for the survival of not only themselves, but all life. But, how easy will that fight be when the enemy turns one of their best against them?... Extremely AU. Read at your own risk.
1. Fading Light

A/N: So, after a lot of thought, I decided to go back to my original idea when I deleted the old stories. Re-make them, and complete my plan for a trilogy. A mark left behind, in the wake of a war that threatens to turn life itself into dust.

A warm wind cast itself over New York City, as the sun slowly began to disappear behind the tall skyscrapers, and jagged edges of steel, metal, and concrete.

Street-lights began to seamlessly snap on, nearly invisible to the deluge of people walking right beneath them. It was a Friday evening. A time for relaxation, for making plans, for enjoying the respite that was nearly upon them all.

The same was true of the city's silent heroes, Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase. Three months had passed since Kronos's death, and the defeat of the Titans at the very gates of Olympus.

All the mortals had seen was a mass of storms that tore the Eastern Seaboard apart. In spite of this, those two knew what they did. The entire Olympian world knew of the heroics done that day, and all the sacrifices made to save the Gods from their own mistakes.

However, Olympus was soon to face its greatest crucible. For a conflict that has been waged since time immemorial, shall soon take hold…

"Are we really going to see 'The Legend 4'?" Percy asked, his voice nearly a whine. Annabeth looked over her shoulder at him sharply.

"Oh, stop complaining. You promised me. And besides, you'd probably like it, if you could pay attention." She smirked.

Suddenly, an almost nefarious grin crept across Percy's face, as he took hold of Annabeth's hand, turning her to face him.

"Well, you'll be sitting right next to me…so it won't be totally boring…" he trailed off, an evil grin finding its way onto his features.

Annabeth smirked a bit in response, pulling herself up to his ear.

"If the movie can't keep you entertained…I'm sure I have a few tricks…" she winked, before abruptly letting go of his hand, and turning back to face the front of the line.

Percy sighed, a slight bit of contentment sneaking into the undertone.

Unbeknownst to the happy couple, however…they were being watched.

A set of binoculars was fixed on Percy directly, and the eyes at the other end narrowed in a mix of anger and success.

"At last." A voice spoke, before setting down the binoculars.

Suddenly, a door opened up behind the figure, and a janitor entered the room tentatively.

"Someone in here?" he called out, a slight bit of fear evident in his voice. "Building's closing down!"

The figure watched the man with a hunter's grin from the shadows, bringing a set of long-jawed daggers to bear, their unearthly metal glinting in the dim light.

Before the janitor could turn around to leave, the figure moved in a rush, gouging a dagger through the back of the man's head, and another at the base of his spine, before tearing forward with both, causing the vertebrae to snap like a twig.

The janitor fell over dead on the cold concrete floor, blood seeping from his wounds, streaming onto the carpeted hallway he'd just finished cleaning.

With the man dead, the figure moved to return to the window, the skirt of his black jacket flowing behind him.

He tapped his ear gently, to access the headset piece within, as the expression on his face returned to a dead-pan.

"Target located. Is auxiliary in place?" he demanded over the set.

Inside the theatre, the man's cohorts were carrying out their tasks.

"Yes, milord. Everything is set. The plan is in its final stages and the clock is running." An agent responded, looking up from the corpse of the man set to watch the film play at the top of the screening theatre.

"Have our men taken their positions?"

As the agent prepared to respond, he watched as his men dragged a gagged usher into a back room, and others came out wearing the uniforms.

"Yes sir, they're already herding the crowd into the assigned positions. There won't be any witnesses." He confirmed, his voice carrying a tone of confidence, mixed with arrogance.

"Very well. How long until the target enters the building?"

The agent checked his watch, before leaning over his shoulder to look at the line outside.

"About five minutes, sire." He answered, before ducking a little bit, pretending to simply be a man on a phone.

"Then I'm moving. Wait for my signal. When everyone is inside…ensure no escape."

The figure cut the communication, before storming off, slamming the door behind him.

Meanwhile, Percy and Annabeth were slowly moving up the line, nearing the ticket booth.

The two had been making small talk while moving through the line, but Percy was the one to interrupt, when he saw someone out of the corner of his eye.

A brooding figure stalked up to the theatre, pushing his way past the people in line, and raising a fuss among the people ahead of them.

"Hey!"

"What's the idea, pal?"

"Line starts back there, jackass!" Among several others of note. The man paid them no heed, as he strode past the booth, stepping into the theatre itself.

"Em, sir! Wait! You need a ticket before you can go inside!" one of the staff at the booth called out.

The man stepped aside for a moment, and flashed something at the booth worker, before putting it away, and walking inside without a word.

"What was that about?" Percy asked, once the commotion had died down. Annabeth shrugged, but kept her eyes on the door.

"Who knows? Probably some movie big-shot incognito or something. Why else would they let him in like that?" Annabeth posed, placing a hand on her hip.

As Percy and Annabeth were about to get their tickets, inside the theatre, the final preparations were being put into place.

The man appeared behind the agent fielding his calls in the film box.

"Is everything in place?"

The agent looked over at the man nervously. It was extremely easy to become nervous in this man's presence.

"Yes, sire. The last of the men are in position. As soon as the target enters the area, we can begin on your signal." He informed him, much to the man's dead-pan response.

The man simply drew his blades, clenching his fists around the hilts, grinding his teeth down for a moment.

Below them, Percy and Annabeth had finally made it through the line, got their tickets, and were moving to their seats.

Eager to sit down after such a long wait, they nearly collided with the back of their chairs, as Percy extended an arm around Annabeth, much to her craftily concealed glee.

The rest of the audience followed suit, and the man signaled for the agent to allow the film to begin rolling.

The agent raised his wrist to his mouth; a communicator jammed half way through his sleeve.

"This is it. All ushers, secure the exits."

The disguised men in the red and white 'Milestone Theatres' usher uniforms moved to cover all the exits to the multiplex room they were now in.

The agent turned to face his master, a confident grin slowly appearing on his face.

"My lord, all exits are sealed. They're trapped."

The man darkened the black tint of the visor around his eyes, and scraped his blades against each other for a second.

"Orion Squad, permission to commence attack is granted."

Suddenly, the movie went dead, causing the audience to react in confusion. Seconds later, the grates on the vents were blown out, and a series of men in red and black body armor began roping down out of them, creating a mass panic.

People began to bolt for the exits, only to discover that the room's ushers had drawn weapons, and had them aimed at them.

The room became a mass of confusion, as the soldiers' captains shouted orders.

"Nobody move!"

"Hands in the air! Now!"

Percy and Annabeth stood up, knowing that the weapons they carried on them to defeat monsters were celestial bronze. They wouldn't be any help here.

The man took the chaos as his own signal. He lept from the film room down into one of the rows of seats.

Right on top of Percy Jackson.

Percy felt his neck nearly snap under the sudden shock, as he rolled out of his seat, trying to figure out what had landed on him.

"Percy!" he heard Annabeth call out, and felt her hand tug on his shirt collar, pulling him away from the seat, as the man rushed forward.

With a quick stroke from his blades, he jammed Annabeth in the arm, causing her to flinch back in pain, before he slashed at her side, making her fall over.

"Annabeth!" Percy screamed, summoning his strength from the curse of Achilles to defend his girlfriend from their attacker.

The man kicked Annabeth right into Percy's arms, as he stood facing the two of them, a blade in each hand. The dim light of the theatre was glinting off his visor.

Percy knelt down, cradling Annabeth's stab wound, his brow furrowed as he looked up.

"What the hell! Who are you, and what's going on?" he demanded, an unholy wrath in his tone.

The man breathed in slowly, before hooking his arm at an angle, staring Percy down, like a predator.

"My name is Raptorius. And you are dead." He said, before charging forward.

Raptorius lunged at Percy, who was forced to set Annabeth down, albeit gently.

"Percy! No!" she yelled, trying to stand herself up, feeling blood seeping from her arm and her side.

Percy pulled out Riptide, knowing it wouldn't do any good offensively, but it would work as a defense. The two clashed blades.

Riptide offered greater overall protection, but Raptorius's two blades gave him more versatility, as the two moved about the room.

Percy ducked a double swing that cut two giant slashes into the theatre screen.

But then, he made a fatal mistake. He left a gap open as he rushed past Raptorius's defense, in an attempt to check on Annabeth.

Raptorius gripped Percy's right arm, which was wielding Riptide. Percy looked at Raptorius for a moment, a flash of fear running through his eyes, as he moved his hand to Percy's wrist, and head-butted his knuckle, the shockwave breaking his arm, and causing Riptide to fall from his hand, sliding onto the ground near the screen.

It was then that Raptorius spun Percy around, as Percy moved his other hand to try to nurse his broken arm.

"Percy!" Annabeth called out, standing up via gripping a chair, blood coating her hands.

"Annabeth! I...I…" Percy began, his voice a stutter, as pain shot through every nerve he had. But, he'd never get to finish.

Raptorius jammed both of his blades through the base of Percy's spine – the small of his back. Annabeth couldn't stop herself from screaming as the blades came out through Percy's stomach, and blood flowed from his mouth as he tried to finish his sentence.

Raptorius then stepped away, allowing blood to drip from his blades onto the theatre floor for a moment.

"We're done here. Orion Squad, time to fallback." He said, before he and his men disappeared into the same vents they came from.

Annabeth crawled over to Percy, the blood coming from her own wounds the last thing on her mind, as she saw Percy's blood torrenting from him like a fountain.

"Percy!" she yelled, reaching his side, her hands on his chest. She could feel the power of the wounds through Percy's shirt and leather jacket.

"Damn it, Seaweed Brain! You are _not _dying on me! Do you understand?" she screamed, as she felt Percy writhe and twitch under her.

"Anna…beth…" he breathed, his voice a faint whisper, as blood dripped from the corners of his mouth.

She grasped his hand, holding it to her chest with both of her own, tears falling from her eyes.

"That's it, Percy! Stay with me!" she assured him, trying desperately to keep him from slipping. She took a second to glance over at the horrified audience.

"Someone get a damn doctor!" she screamed at them, and a few quickly rushed off.

"Annabeth…I…" He tried to speak, but she silenced him, tears still falling down her face.

"Percy, save your energy…just hold on, okay? Help's coming…" she said, her own voice trailing off.

Percy felt his throat seize up, every nerve felt like it was on fire, and being dipped in magma. Tears formed in his own eyes, both from the burning sting, and his own sadness.

"Annabeth…I…love you…" he whispered to her, the blood from his mouth running down to his chin.

Annabeth's nerves tensed up hard, hearing this from him, she gripped his hand even tighter, and leaned down to him.

"Damn it…" she trailed off, before composing herself for a brief moment. "I love you too, Percy…with everything I have. Please…don't let go. Just stay with me!"

Percy's response amounted to little more than a gag, as more blood came up his throat.

Finally, Annabeth heard rushing footsteps behind her, and three paramedics entered the room in a frenzied rush.

"Step aside, ma'am!" one of them said, as they got to work trying to stabilize Percy enough to get him to a nearby hospital.

Annabeth could still feel tears flowing from her eyes, as she looked around the room. The paramedics weren't alone in their arrival. The NYPD had shown up on the scene, and were locking down the area while the paramedics tended to Percy.

She could see them administering bandages, hear them trying to hook up a field IV to him, to pump more blood into him to keep him from going into shock.

She watched his bloodied hand extended out from his body, as his fingers finally stopped twitching, and Annabeth's heart sank lower than it ever had before.

"He's got no pulse." She heard one of them mutter. Another one looked at a pad that was resting on his knee.

"Yeah, call it." Another one said, his grim tone indicating to Annabeth what had happened. The paramedic that had pushed her aside placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry, ma'am. He's gone." She told her, her head looking down.

Annabeth buried her head in her hands, as the paramedics slapped bandages on her, and ushered her to the ambulance outside.

When they stepped outside, the theatre's entrance was chaos. There were NYPD cars everywhere, and more than one ambulance, though they were all going to the same hospital.

She felt an NYPD officer give her a blanket, as she sat in the back of the ambulance, the doors hanging open.

She felt her eyes sting as she watched paramedics haul Percy out on a stretcher, a white sheet over his head.

As she prepared to depart to the hospital they were going to, she watched the police taping off the site, and saw a few officers re-directing traffic. But, her eyes fixed on the ambulance behind them. The one carrying what was left of Percy. Her Percy.

"Goodbye, Seaweed Brain…Percy. I…I love you too." …


	2. Business Expense

A/N: Hey all. Not sure how often I'll be updating. I'm hoping at least once a week, but we'll see how things go.

"The New York Police Department is still struggling to discover the reason for the attack on the Milestone Theatres Multiplex early yesterday evening." A new reporter said, gesturing behind herself to the NYPC combing through the Theatre, which had been shut down by Milestone Theatres the day after the raid.

"Eye witnesses and hospital reports only one casualty: seventeen year old Percy Jackson. Seventeen year old Annabeth Chase was stabbed in the arm, and the lower hip, but is expected to make a full recovery." She continued.

Behind her, a few men in dark suits were talking to witnesses, each of them carrying a notepad.

"We now go to Director Warren James, who has been placed in charge of the investigation. James, what do we know at this moment?"

Director James was a fairly young man. He was clean-cut, and carried an authoritative aura around him.

"According to testimony from witnesses, we have discovered that at least fifteen armed assailants attacked theatre #29, with the aid of at least six more disguised as theatre ushers." He informed her, his eyes glancing down at a notepad he was carrying.

"Do we have any idea who is behind the attack?"

James took a moment to clear his throat and adjust his tie before speaking again.

"Security camera footage lists the leader as a man named 'Raptorius', and he referred to the men in his command as 'Orion Squad.'"

"Has the FBI or any other agency been able to give us any background on this…Raptorius?"

"No. We believe the name is an alias of some sort. The man himself is Caucasian, black hair, tinted eye-visor. Carries two long blades in each hand, and wears almost entirely black in his clothing."

"What can you say to the rumors that there were bombs placed within the Theatre?"

"We confirmed several sets of military grade explosives on-site. Fortunately for us, the arming mechanisms failed, and the bombs were useless."

And that was when Annabeth snapped the TV off. She couldn't bear to hear anymore. She'd been discharged from the hospital that night, after her wounds were quickly patched up.

She couldn't get the haunting image out of her head. Percy laying flat on the ground, gagging and choking on his own blood. All because of _him. _

She shook her head. She couldn't get lost in that now. She had to finish getting ready. She was going to go with Percy's mother and step-father to claim his body from the Manhattan Victory District Morgue.

She then heard a knock at her door, as she was finishing making a few simple touches to her hair.

"Come in." she called out. She had been living in the dormitory for her preparatory school since after Kronos was killed. She had the room to herself, which allowed her and Percy to circumvent her school's draconian policies on visitors.

"Annabeth?" she heard a voice call out, and recognized it as Nico, one of her better friends. She knew he'd be coming. She didn't know how quickly word had spread, but Nico could always feel when someone died. For someone like Percy, she imagined it must've hurt.

"Nico!" she exclaimed, nearly running out of the bathroom. He had a skull and cross-bones T-shirt on, and wore a leather jacket similar to Percy's. His face was grim.

"How are you holding up?" he asked as soon as he got through the door.

"I'm not." She answered abruptly. "I can't even think about it, or I just…break down." She continued, trying to halt the shakiness in her voice.

"Yeah, I went through a spell myself when I felt it, and checked the news. Do they know who killed him?"

Annabeth placed her hands on the frame of her couch, and looked at him dead on.

"The assassin was kind enough to introduce himself before he garroted Percy." She told him, a tone of sheer bitterness evident in her voice.

"I saw the camera footage. The cops say 'Raptorius' doesn't match anyone. Gotta be a cover."

"I don't care who he is." She clenched her fist, and slammed it on the sofa. "I want to vent his head."

"We'll find him one way or another, Annabeth. I have a feeling we haven't seen the last of him."

"You don't get it, Nico. The cameras didn't film how he killed Percy…I saw him die." She looked away, closing her eyes.

"He was a hero…he didn't deserve to die. And that…monster killed him…like an animal…"

Nico prepared to say something, but Annabeth raised her hand to stop him, unable to contain her thoughts anymore.

"He died choking on his own blood. He…he told me he loved me…" she trailed off. She had to stop here. She couldn't go any further, or she didn't know what would happen…

"Annabeth," Nico said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I'm so sorry…Percy was the best friend I ever had. I want to turn this…Raptorius inside out a few times over…"

Annabeth nodded, taking a deep breath, and wiping her eyes with her arm.

"I'm sorry about getting like that, Nico. It's just…a really, really hard subject."

"You've got nothing to be sorry about."

Annabeth turned around again, her composure seemingly regained.

"Has word reached Camp yet? Or Olympus?"

Nico nodded, his expression getting even grimmer. He folded his hands for a second.

"The Gods know. Poseidon has taken an absence from the Council to mourn. Hermes and Hephaestus are nearly as upset, but not quite. And the others, well…they vary."

"How so?" she had a feeling she knew the answer.

"Ares may as well be telling his cabin to hold a damn street party. Athena's about as excited, but she'd never vocalize it. Zeus seems neutral. Hera thinks this is just great."

"Does she?" She could feel anger welling up in her. Ares was no surprise. Nor was her mother, to be completely honest, though she expected better. But Hera?

"She's happy about it because it upsets you." Nico said, stifling a cynical laugh.

"Bitch." Annabeth muttered under her breath.

"But, they're all worried. Poseidon really didn't take the news well. Chiron's worried." Nico said, looking out grimly at the ocean.

"That he might take his anger out on the mortals?" Annabeth asked, knowing that if she was this devastated, Poseidon must be as much so, if not more. Percy was his favorite son.

"That he might decide one of the others was behind it, and declare war."

Annabeth felt her heart skip a beat.

"Another war between the Gods is NOT a good idea." She said plainly.

"Yeah. Chiron's trying to calm them down, or at least, trying to get them to give Poseidon some space."

"Ugh…" Annabeth muttered, crossing her arms.

"But, that's not why I'm here." Nico told her, leaning on her wall.

"I don't have time for much right now, I'm afraid. I'm going with Percy's parents to claim his body." She said dejectedly.

"That's why I'm here. I want to come along."

"You do?" Annabeth asked incredulously.

"Yeah. Like I said, Percy was the best friend I ever had. I want to be there."

While the two made their plans, much further uptown, more plans were in place. Others were interested in the body of the late Percy Jackson.

"How much are you offering?" a man crossed his arms, biting down on a tack in his mouth.

"This." Raptorius said briskly, tossing a bag filled with American dollars down on the table.

The four thugs in front of him eyed the bag greedily, as if predators eyeing their lunch. It was then that Raptorius pulled the bag away, a small, superior smirk drawing across his face for a half-second.

"You get it when you're done." He said flatly, handing the bag off to one of his bodyguards.

"Alright, we'll do it." The lead thug said, hunched over in his chair. "Where do you want us goin'?"

Raptorius said nothing, merely threw a vanilla colored file down on the table where the money had been.

"You go. You get the body. Don't think of coming back until it's done." He warned them, his eyes narrowing over all of them behind his visor.

"We're going! We're going!" the thug leader retorted, signaling his men to stand and follow him out.

When they were gone, Raptorius pulled a small, metal disc from his pocket. He pressed a button on the side, and brought up a bright blue holographic display.

"Objective complete, Lord Mobius." He spoke to the figure on the other end, bowing his head slightly.

"Good. Have an element of Orion Squad follow them to observe. When they bring the body back, you are to…take care of them." Mobius responded, sitting back in his chair.

"Yes, Master." Raptorius answered, bowing his head once again.

"Do not go yourself. I have been watching the communications. You attracted too much attention from the Human authorities. You cannot risk further exposure. At least…not yet."

"I understand, Master."

Mobius grinned evilly from his plush chair, before lighting up a cigarette, and taking a puff.

"Excellent. Contact me again when you have his body. Once we have it in orbit, the real plans can begin."

"Yes, Master."

…


	3. Pinpoint Extraction

A/N: Hey people. Just wanted to thank everyone for their support. It's really been a motivation to keep going, so keep it up!

"What do you mean 'can't be released'?" Annabeth demanded, slamming her fist down on the reception counter.

"I'm sorry, ma'am. The NYPD has flagged the body of 'Perseus Jackson' as evidence. As such, until the investigation of his death is complete, his body cannot be released." The clerk said, looking over a form passed into his desk.

Sally then gently pushed Annabeth aside, looking the clerk dead in the eyes.

"You give me back my son, you pencil-pushing bureaucrat!" she nearly screamed, a scowl bearing across her face. Nico and Paul immediately stepped forward, pushing her back, away from the counter.

The clerk they were speaking to was none too pleased. He had a bored look on his face, even then.

"One more outburst like that Mrs. Jackson, and I'll have you removed from the building."

While Percy's friends and family battled at the legal desk, four avenues over, a gang of bikers prepared their bikes for action.

"So, boss. Mind filling us in?" one of them asked snidely, forcefully jamming a clip into his gun's cartridge.

"We go in, get the body, and get the fuck out." He responded, nearly chewing on a cigarette.

"I ain't too sure about this one, Grayson. That guy didn't look like the haggling type." Another of the thugs brought up, her arm over her knee as she sat down on her bike.

"Look. If they're paying us this much for the body that means that it's valuable. I'm sure we can convince them to part with a bit more." Grayson said, smashing his cigarette into one of his bike handles.

"Whatever you say, boss. But, if they kill us, I'm haunting your ass."

"Stow it, Rodriguez. Time's wasting."

The sound of their engines flaring to life tore through the garage they were in, and they set off down the main highways, heading for the city's morgue.

Unbeknownst to them, the man they'd made their deal with – Raptorius, was watching from the shadows.

He pulled the same small disc from his coat pocket, and pressed it. Within seconds, an image of Lord Mobius, sitting back in his chair with a cigar in hand became visible.

"My master, I followed the thugs as requested. They plan to use the body to haggle for more coin." He bowed his head once again, as Mobius sat forward a bit in pondering.

"Then take Orion Squad down to that morgue. Do it yourself. Terminate all of them…except for Grayson. Have your men bring him back alive, if possible. If not, just take his body as well."

Raptorius bowed his head in understanding, drawing one of his blades from his coat.

"Yes, Master."

"And Raptorius. Take care not to damage the body in any way. We need it as intact as possible."

"It will be done, Master."

Mobius then cut the communication, leaving Raptorius on top of the roof he'd been perched on. He tapped his wrist to bring up a holographic communicator.

"Orion Squad. Prepare to move. Coordinates to follow."

He then stood at the side of the building, and lept off, landing in the alley below.

As Orion Squad prepared to move, and Grayson's thugs approached the morgue, inside their goal, Percy's family had finally worn down the clerk on hand.

"Alright, alright." He said dejectedly, rubbing his forehead with his hand. "If you'll all kindly wait in the lobby, I'll call the Commissioner, and see if the body can be released." He offered, a tone of defeat hanging over him.

Annabeth pinched her nose, weary of arguing with this stuffed-shirt.

"That'll be fine, thank you." She said, nearly as dejectedly, before going to sit down with the others.

Annabeth looked over at Sally and Paul. The two of them seemed to be in their own absorbed bubble. Too damaged by both Percy's death, and the lack of bureaucratic compassion for it.

She could feel Nico slide into the chair next to her, his hands in his lap.

"That was a bit of work up there, huh?" he asked her, cracking a smile.

"So much regulation for a damn body." Annabeth muttered under her breath, sitting forward in her chair.

Outside the morgue, Grayson's men had just arrived, their bikes dying down.

They rushed up to the side of the building, out of sight from the main street.

Grayson then dropped down two tote bags on the ground. They hit the rough concrete with a thud.

"Alright. Arm up, and let's get this done." He said in a hushed whisper, as he and his compatriots loaded up their weapons.

"Go!"

Within seconds, the thugs had kicked in the morgue's front door, and charged into the lobby. Grayson and his lieutenants were shouting orders to the few people within the lobby, mostly Percy's parents, Annabeth, and Nico.

"Nobody move!"

"Up against the wall, now!"

Grayson entered in after his men with all the subtlety of a fireworks display. With a bottle of rum in one hand that he'd stowed inside the tote bag, and an AK-47 in the other, he had a smug grin on his face.

"This is a raid, you sons of bitches!" he jeered, walking up to the same clerk that Percy's family and friends had been working with for the past hour.

"Where's the freezer? Answer me, key-monkey!"

The clerk was trembling. He had his arms raised up in the air.

"D-don't shoot, please!" he begged, sweat visible on his brow.

"Then tell me where the bodies are, or…" Grayson trailed off for a second to shoot the phone mere inches from the clerk. "The next one's coming for you!"

"T-the bodies are in the back! L-look, I'll even unlock the door for you!"

Grayson flashed him a drunken grin, before raising his gun.

"I appreciate the honesty, compadre." He then fired two shots, both to the head.

While Grayson finished with the clerk, his thugs were looking over the lobby's guests.

"Hey boss!" one of them yelled over to Grayson, taking hold of Annabeth's arm. "This one's got a nice set on her!"

Nico stepped up almost immediately, drawing his switch-blade pocket knife, only to have it knocked out of his hands, and a gun aimed at his head.

"Not so fast, pretty-boy." Rodriguez smiled evilly at Nico, blowing air over one of her fingers, before returning the gun to a level spot over him. "You'd be worth a haul." She grinned.

Grayson gulped the bottle of rum, before smashing it against the counter, before using his free hand to clutch at the stock of his AK-47.

"Listen up, shit-heads. We'll have time to collect on…bounty later. Right now, we need to get our package before the cops show up."

Annabeth scowled at them, but didn't even bother trying to speak up. Percy's parents were terrified, but the thugs didn't seem to be paying them any mind.

Before the thugs could move on, the entire room was taken aback when the morgue's ventilation grates all blew open at once. Annabeth's eyes widened in horror when she saw what was coming down them.

"Grenades!" she screamed, diving to the side with Nico, right before the grenades blew up, killing three of Grayson's thugs.

Annabeth, Nico, Sally, and Paul were now all on the same side of the room, near one of the edges. They could only watch, wondering what the hell was going on, but Annabeth was getting a hunch.

"It's them…" she thought to herself, pushing the thought to the back of her mind.

Grayson and his men were still coughing up smoke when the all-too familiar men in black and red heavy body armor, wielding black and red glowing guns swarmed the room, shooting anyone standing up.

Two of the men quickly seized a stunned Grayson's arms, giving Annabeth and Nico pause.

"Are…are they helping us?" he asked, his tone perplexed.

"I…I don't know." She responded, just as confused.

That was when Raptorius descended down the shaft, his infamous dual blades in hand.

With the relative light of the lobby, Annabeth was finally able to get a look at the man she now despised more than anything.

His jet-black hair was the same color as Percy's, but his eyes were covered by a black tinted visor. He wore a black suit of thin body armor, with grayish leggings, and dark boots. Over all of this, he wore a long, dark, and flowing black jacket with a strange logo on it.

"The fuck are you doing?" Grayson exclaimed, trying to break free of Raptorius's men.

Raptorius said nothing, as he casually strode over to Grayson, ramming both of his blades into Grayson's stomach, driving them up his chest, and finally out his shoulder-blades.

All of them were horrified by this show of gruesome brutality. Only Rap's men remained impassive.

"My job." Raptorius said blankly, before looking over to one of his men. "Prepare him for transport."

The soldier he spoke to saluted him on the spot. He then turned to a small team forming behind him.

"Find the target. Prepare for transport." He said, his tone just as icy. Annabeth had no doubts now…she was face to face with Percy's killer.

They were all caught-off guard by what happened next. The sound of a microphone echoed through the room.

"This is the New York City Police Department. We have the building surrounded. You have no hope of escape. Surrender your hostages, and come out peacefully, or we will take the building by force." An announcer declared. Annabeth and Nico dared to peek out the window, and saw it was true.

"They move fast…" Nico said in a whisper, to which Annabeth nodded. She then turned back around, reminded of her burning anger when she saw Raptorius nod to one of his men.

The soldier ran up to the door way between them and the NYPD. Tearing it open, he was met with orders from the police to surrender.

He responded by placing down a small white square he'd been holding on his back.

"Don't move again, or we will fire! I repeat, we will fire!" one of the police warned.

To everyone's surprise but Raptorius's, the man continued moving. The police made good on their threat, and opened fire, but found that their bullets were doing them no good.

Then, they all discovered what that white square's purpose was. The soldier tapped a few buttons on his wrist, and the square folded upward and outward into an automatic turret.

"Orion Squad! Your orders are to set up here, and block access to the next checkpoint!" he said, giving the four unwitting hostages a chance to hear the voice of one of this infamous 'Orion Squad.'

The voice was metallic, deep, and cold sounding. There didn't seem to be any emotion behind it.

When the turret began opening fire on the police outside, Annabeth finally stood up.

"Annabeth! Are you crazy?" Sally hissed at her, concern evident in her voice. "Sit back down!"

Raptorius glanced over at her, barely acknowledging that she was even there. Indeed, his men didn't seem to care about their presence at all.

"Sir, we found the package. Preparing for transport." One of the other soldiers reported.

The room then echoed with the sound of a fierce explosion. The NYPD had finally managed to destroy the turret keeping them away from the door, after taking heavy losses.

Raptorius noted that Annabeth was still standing up, and recognized her from when he killed Percy.

"Another witness." He whispered, his voice so low, he himself barely heard it.

Annabeth drew the dagger she'd been carrying. She hadn't used it when Grayson's men attacked because they'd caught her off-guard.

But for Percy's killer…she didn't care one bit. She held it in reverse so that the blade was pointing down.

In response, Raptorius looked over his shoulder at his men placing both Percy and Grayson's bodies into bags they'd brought with them.

"Commence extraction. I'll deal with her." He said flatly.

Within seconds, his soldiers had all but vanished, disappearing nearly as quickly as they had arrived.

More footsteps immediately became apparent, as NYPD officers took advantage of the silence, and moved in. Three officers stepped into the disheveled room, sending a surge of relief through both Sally and Paul, and making Nico chuckle a bit, as he stood up, moving to Annabeth's side.

"You are under arrest!" one of the officers yelled, training his gun on Raptorius directly. "Make no sudden moves, and keep your hands where we can see them."

Raptorius didn't look like he'd even heard them. His expression didn't change or falter in the least.

"One." Raptorius responded, his fingers tightening around his daggers.

"I said now!" the officer insisted, stepping forward, his two comrades at his flanks.

"Two."

"Get down on the ground! Now!" another officer demanded, quickly looking over Sally, Paul, Nico, and Annabeth.

"Three."

Raptorius then moved in a rush. He zipped forward, almost seeming to teleport. Appearing behind one of the officers, he immediately snapped the officer's neck, before moving onto the next one, whom he jammed his dual-blades through the torso, one after the other, within less than a second of each other.

Diving between the falling second officer's legs, he rushed the third one, driving his two blades through the woman's neck, ensuring they came out the other side in a criss cross, before tearing at either side, splitting the poor woman's throat open from two differing angles.

Before Annabeth had time to react, Raptorius curved in from under her, seizing her by the neck, and wrapping it in his arm. Holding his blades to her throat, he grinned slightly.

"Move and she dies." He warned Nico, Sally, and Paul.

"Let her go…whatever in Ha-, erm…Hell you are!" Nico yelled, picking up his switchblade from the floor.

With a small sigh, as Annabeth struggled to break free of his hold, Raptorius tossed one of his daggers at Nico.

The dagger caught him off guard, and struck him down the center of his face, nearly severing it in half.

"Nico!" Annabeth screamed, trying even harder to break from Raptorius's grasp.

Without even glancing over, as Nico's corpse fell to the floor, Raptorius threw his other blade at Sally and Paul.

The other blade repeated the process of its twin, nearly splitting Sally's head in half, and moving forward to hit Paul as well, before Raptorius clenched his fists, and they came whirling back.

Annabeth would've rubbed her eyes, if she could've gotten her hands to her eyes.

"You…you're a monster!" she exclaimed, writhing under his grasp, as he looked over at her, his expression completely neutral, as his gloved hand snaked over her throat, and he held her up in the air.

He pressed a finger to his ear, pushing back several strands of his hair in the process.

"Orders?"

From the Observation Deck of his capital ship in orbit above the Dark Side of the Moon, Mobius lit up a cigarette, and proceeded to breathe it in, bending his head to the side to gaze at the Earth in front.

"Finish her." He commanded, taking another breath, before ending the line.

Nodding in agreement with his master, he dragged Annabeth across the room by her neck.

"Last words?"

Annabeth looked at him, unable to see his eyes past the visor, but her hate burned through ever fiber of her own.

"Go to hell." She muttered, spitting in his face. Raptorius flinched, a slight scowl bearing into him.

He moved the hand holding her from her throat to her face, and bashed her head against the drywall. Repeating the motion until he'd punched a hole clean through, he then tossed her injured form into the clerk's window, shattering the glass, and sending her into a head-first collision with a set of file cabinets.

"See you there…" he whispered to her, in such a low tone that he even he could not hear it.

He turned to face the door, the scene of devastation behind him clear. Outside, the police still held their barricade, and SWAT Units were arriving on scene to take him down.

"Raptorius, this is the NYPD! You are under arrest! Drop your weapons now, or we will open fire!" one of them ordered, from a position crouched behind a police car.

Raptorius ignored them, pulling a detonator from his jacket. He gently pressed the button, and then it happened.

One by one, the police cars and other vehicles exploded. The resulting explosions nearly leveled the block.

Tossing the detonator aside, Raptorius activated the communicator on his wrist as he walked away from the scene of utter destruction he'd just created.

"Orion Squad. Mission accomplished. Prepare for re-assignment."

…


	4. Arrest Warrant Pending

A/N: Continuing forward. This chapter should shed a bit more light on the mysterious organization that's recovered Percy's body.

"We're hardly registering a pulse!" a doctor yelled, as they pushed the stretcher into the Intensive Care ward.

"Keep up those compressions, we're losing her!" another shouted, continuing to press on Annabeth's chest.

There were five doctors around Annabeth, as they moved her deeper into the hospital she'd been admitted to. Her encounter with Raptorius left her barely clinging to life.

"Is the room ready?"

"Yes, it went into prep as soon as she got here." An aide answered, pushing a door open.

"Get the equipment powered up. We need to operate now!"

"Yes, doctor!"

Preparations began immediately. The doctors were doing their best to keep her vital signs stable, while the surgery ward prepared to operate.

"What are we looking at?" the chief surgeon asked, looking Annabeth over.

"Multiple fractures in the spine and shoulder blades. Blunt head trauma, cracks in the skull here, here, and here." A doctor calmly pointed out, as they filled Annabeth with anesthetic.

"Looks like a multitude of stress fractures in the rib cage. Increased swelling around the brain."

"We don't have any time to waste; she's hanging on by a thread."

As the procedures to save Annabeth's life were brought into motion, in orbit…very different procedures were underway.

"What have we here?" Mobius demanded, stepping into the medical bay, his arms crossed.

"Milord, we've placed Grayson's body into cryogenic stasis, as you ordered."

"And Jackson?"

"We've been assessing him sir. Master Raptorius did quite a bit of damage, but…"

"But?" Mobius's eyebrows narrowed.

"We believe we can do as you wish, milord."

"Very well. You shall have access to every resource we have. His majesty has declared this matter…top priority."

The doctorial acolyte Mobius was speaking to bowed his head in understanding.

"May his majesty's will be done."

Suddenly, the great halls of Mobius's enormous battle-cruiser began to echo with alarms.

"Alert, all hands! Paladin ships sighted entering the system!" the bridge announced.

Mobius nearly did a turn around, his brow furrowing into a loathsome scowl.

"So, Steel has finally tracked me here, has he? If he wishes to do battle, we will do battle." He declared, taking the elevator up to the Command Deck.

He arrived moments later, lighting up another cigarette, and sitting down firmly in his chair, adjusting the tie he was wearing.

Hundreds of yards out from Mobius's battle-cruiser, a single Paladin ship had de-folded out of range of human satellites.

"Sir, do you really think Mobius would have come here? This system has been a restricted area for centuries." An officer spoke up, sitting on the bridge of the opposing ship.

The ship's captain stood up, crossing his arms, and taking note of Earth, seeing the dark side lit up by bright lights from the ground.

"The Chalrus have never paid any mind to our laws. Mobius…even less so." He responded grimly. "And if I know him, I'm sure he's already set up operations here."

"Sir, we're receiving a message from the _Ascension_." Another officer reported, her hand on her headset.

"Put it through."

"Aye, sir."

Moments later, Mobius's image was revealed to the Paladin crew. He was wearing a dark red suit, with a yellowish-white tie, and a black shirt. He wore white gloves on his hands, as he lit up another cigarette.

"Commander Steel, always a pleasure." He smirked, leaning back in his chair, using his free-hand to punch up a holographic monitor.

"Mobius. I thought I smelled something…wrong in this system. What nefarious tasks are you up to this time?" Steel demanded, a hint of arrogance slipping into his tone.

"Nefarious? Me? Perish the thought." Mobius smirked, an evil grin drawing across his face. "I'm simply extending the welcome mat to a new race."

Steel laughed a bit, sitting back down in his chair, leaning his head forward.

"Oh? Because my reports suggest otherwise. By order of the Galactic Convention, I've been asked to place you under arrest for your crimes, and the crimes of your Empire." Steel clenched his fist as he spoke.

"You can't comprehend the work you're disrupting, Julius. I won't allow you to interfere again." Mobius changed his tone, becoming far more serious.

"Damn it Areth, Olympus is a myth, and your new master has you hunting for it like some damn dog!"

Mobius took a deep breath from his cigarette, before slamming his fist down on one of the arms of his chair.

"Don't you dare speak that name aloud. And I've had enough of your heresy!" he then seemed to compose himself, tapping his cigarette against the ash-tray built into his chair.

"It doesn't have to end like this. If you stop, I can give you amnesty. If you don't, I will fire on you."

"Oh, Julius. You don't understand the measures I've taken, or the plans I've already put into place. Now then." He brought up another interface, tapping on it a few times, before the communication line went dead.

"Orders, milord?" one of Mobius's bridge crew asked.

Mobius contemplated for a moment before lighting up yet another cigarette.

"All guns, open fire on _Araneth_. Deploy all battle-pod squadrons." He commanded, exhaling a puff of smoke.

In the great void outside, within moments of Mobius's command, a great surge of white and red two-legged pods began to swarm out of the loading bays.

The _Araneth_, though far smaller, responded in kind. Dozens of silver-shaded fighters massed from its hull, engaging the battle-pods on sight.

As the battle raged, Mobius decided to put the next phase of his plan into motion.

He could feel Raptorius enter the room, his aura chilling all around it. He had his blades in his hands as he stepped next to Mobius.

"What do you require, Master?" he inquired.

"Take your battle-pod, get over to the _Araneth_. Put our friend Steel down. When it's done, you will continue with the operation."

"Yes, Master." He nodded, stepping out of the room and off the bridge without another word.

On board the _Araneth_, spirits were high. The battle was turning in their favor. Though the Chalrus had a larger force, the Paladins were more battle-hardened.

"Sir, our heavy guns are ready for a second barrage on the _Ascension._" A weapons officer declared, handing Steel a notepad.

"Fire another volley, sergeant. Let's deny their battle-pods a birth to return to."

As the _Araneth _began firing its next volley, alarms on the bridge began ringing.

"Lieutenant! What's going on?" Steel demanded, his fist resting on the arm of his chair.

"Sir, I'm picking up multiple in-bound hyperspace fold procedures!"

Steel's eyes widened, he stepped out of his chair to look outside.

"It's a trap…" he breathed wordlessly, as four silhouettes emerged from fold, all a similar size and shape to the _Ascension_.

"Lord Mobius, this is Admiral Khyron, the 7th Mechanized Division is reporting as ordered." A voice announced to Mobius via his communicators.

"Khyron, begin a full assault on the _Araneth_. Do not let them escape, or they WILL report our activity to the Convention."

Moments later, the _Araneth _came under the full weight of an all-out assault from five Chalrus battle-cruisers.

The great ship began to quake and split from the force of several explosions striking at once. Steel's bridge had devolved into chaos.

"Sir, the hangar bay is crippled!"

"Fire control teams needed on levels four through nine!"

"Communications are failing! Emergency beacon deployed!"

Steel had his head in his hands for a few brief moments, before standing up.

"Order all hands to report to escape pods. The _Araneth _is lost. Mobius brought in his lap-dog."

As Steel spoke, the chaos around him made the ventilation grate popping open behind him slip past his notice.

"We don't have a chance against five battle-cruisers. We'll have to regroup on the planet below."

"Yes, sir!" an officer responded, as a third set of alarms began to go off.

It was then that Raptorius made his move. He struck at Steel from the shadows, only to have his blades parried by Steel's personal sword – _Kaliath. _

The bridge crew recoiled in horror. Only Steel maintained his calm demeanor, as he looked over at them.

"You all go. I'll deal with our 'guest.'" He ordered, his blade still connected to Raptorius's.

"He said you would be in charge." Raptorius said, the icy tone of his voice as evident as though it were normal.

"And who else would he send to kill me but you? How are those implants working for you?" Steel goaded, a smirk appearing on his face.

"Let me show you."

The three blades clashed. Steel's long-blade against Raptorius's two short ones.

The two knew each other's forms well. As the bridge crew vacated to the escape pods, red emergency lights and alarm went off around them, and the ship was shaking from the bombardment by Khyron's forces.

It was then that Steel managed to get a clean blow at Raptorius's face. He didn't hit him with his blade, but his fist.

Raptorius reeled from the blow, a good two feet between him and Steel. He touched his lower lip, and felt blood dripping from it.

"You will pay for that." He said calmly, before the ship vibrated again, this time violently.

"Alert: Life Support systems failing. Circuitry rejected. Evacuate immediately." The ship's automated systems alerted them.

"We'll finish another time." Raptorius said, as Steel looked away for a moment to see his hull being torn apart. When he looked over again, Raptorius was gone.

Steel didn't press his luck. He made a quick run for the escape pods.

Meanwhile, on the _Ascension_, Mobius was watching the _Araneth's _destruction with a concealed sense of victory.

On his video monitor was an image of Raptorius, in the pilot seat of his officer-pod, flying back to the ship.

"I nearly had him." Raptorius defended himself. "Life support failed."

Mobius took a deep breath from his cigarette, letting his fingers mesh.

"He is not a primary concern anyways." Mobius responded.

"What is your plan?"

Mobius took a moment to consider his options, before looking at Raptorius directly.

"Once our work on board is done, I will leave you in charge of our operations on the ground. Khyron and his ships will remain in orbit for support."

"What of you?"

Mobius smiled a bit, his head leaning to his side, as he allowed himself to cross his legs.

"I will return to the Crucible. His majesty wishes to speak with me about our work here. I trust you know what to do on Earth."

"Yes, Master. With Jackson ours, the Half-Bloods will not be able to oppose us."

"Even still. We cannot afford any risks. When you return, I want you to assemble a large force, and deal with them. Permanently."

"And the Paladin survivors?"

"Hunt them if you can, but they are secondary. Destroy the Half-Bloods. Lord Tyrannus himself commands it."

"Yes, Master."

…


	5. A Captive Audience

A/N: Quick note. Stop asking about getting more plot. It'll all be unveiled as the story goes. Please.

"Are we clear to proceed?" a Chalrus doctor asked, looking down over the life-pod that Percy's body was floating in.

"Yes, the pieces are in place. Registering green from the positronic implants."

"Good. Begin transferring power to the electronic accelerator."

Percy could feel his body twitch, his nerves felt like they were on fire. He jolted forward in the cool, sticky liquid he was floating in.

"Clasps?"

He could feel a jolt of electricity shoot through his chest, swirling around his heart and lungs.

"Bring the servos online."

His skin trembled, his nerves seized up, he could feel oxygen being robbed from every feeble breath he tried to take.

"Charged?"

"Yes sir, all circuits online. We are ready."

His head jolted to the side, and his eyes writhed beneath their closed lids.

"Charging. Three."

Percy felt as though his body was going to shut down. He'd felt his spirit be tossed back into it, and it felt like it was ready to knock him back out.

"Two."

The pain was unbearable. If it kept up, he swore he'd find a way to kill himself, regardless of being confined to this small space.

"One."

Another round of electricity shot through his veins, and his eyes finally opened, nearly blood-shot from the pain.

"Sir, we're getting vitals. Brain activity is up, and pulse is high."

"Excellent." The head doctor paused to light up a pipe. "Introduce the sedatives; put him back to sleep for now."

While the doctors worked to bring Percy back to life, down far below, Annabeth was slowly but steadily recovering from her beating at the hands of Raptorius.

_"Raptorius…the very name makes my blood boil." _Annabeth thought to herself as she sat up in her hospital bed, and gently stroked the bandages on her face, could feel the wrap around her hips.

_"If you can hear me, you should know you're a dead man. You took Percy from me, and then you tried to send me with him. I'll drown you in your own blood." _She swore to herself, clenching her fist, feeling her fingers tremble in response.

That was when the door by her bed opened up, and one of the on-staff doctors walked in.

"Good morning, Annabeth." He said, his voice slightly grim.

"Good morning, doctor. What's the matter?"

"I'm afraid I have some troubling news for you." He began, stepping a little more into the room.

"Your friends, the people you were with when you were attacked…none of them made it."

Annabeth felt her heart skip a beat. Her eyes widened in shock.

"What do you mean?" She immediately felt dumb. She knew what he meant.

"Sally Jackson's head was split open by the knife the…assailant used. She was dead instantly. Her husband, Paul…I think his name was, also died instantly. The knife passed through her and pierced his skull, severing his brain stem."

"And Nico?" She felt like she'd be sick. The only comfort she could think of for Percy's poor parents is that their deaths had been instantaneous.

"The knife wound he suffered wasn't as bad. It didn't make it past the skull, but it seems the attacker pulled it back out, and he lost too much blood before we could get to him."

The vision flashed to her like a wave. Nico being struck, the blood coming from his wound as he hit the floor. The blade striking down both of Percy's parents in a single throw.

"Then…how did I survive? I took the most direct attack, didn't I?" she questioned.

"Yes, you indeed did. There were a few spots where we were worried, but you were clinging to the pulse you had the entire time. I...well, to be perfectly honest with you Miss Chase, I haven't seen anything like it before."

"What do you mean?" 

"By all logic, by every other case of assault we've seen come through our doors, you should be dead right now. But, though your vitals often dipped dangerously low, they never stopped. It…it's like your body refused to let itself shut down."

Annabeth placed a finger to her chin, contemplating all of this. She could remember devoting every ounce of will she had to keep her heart beating. She refused to give up. She wouldn't be beaten.

_"I couldn't give up while _he_ still breathes…"_ she admitted to herself. It was her hate, her desperation for revenge that drove her to stay alive.

Meanwhile, somewhere in the northern half of Canada, there were many others who shared Annabeth's sentiments. The survivors of the _Araneth _were linking up with scout forces they'd had on Earth for a while now.

Surrounding the ice, snow, and wind, each with a bite, lines of tents had been set-up. Six wheeled vehicles and mechs were laying in wait in the snow banks, being tended to by their pilots.

Steel strode into the largest tent, his shimmering silver helm under his arm. He slammed it on the table.

"Ladies, gentlemen, what are we looking at?" he asked, placing his hands on the table, as one of his men brought up a holographic projection of the Earth.

"Sir, Khyron's ships are still in orbit, as is the _Ascension_." An officer reported, pointing to six red lines hovering in the space between the Earth and the Moon.

"So, Mobius hasn't run…not yet, at least. What are we looking at in terms of ground deployments?" 

"Sir, we've detected several potential bases for activity in multiple areas across the planet, but we're picking up on an active cell, currently on the move right…here." A woman answered, pointing to a spot on the globe that was lit red with the markings of a Chalrus squad.

"Then that's our goal." Steel declared, before stepping out of the tent. "Order all vanguard forces to being mobilizing immediately. I'll be joining them."

As it happened, the Paladin forces had discovered Orion Squad, which was currently in New York. More specifically, they were assaulting Camp Half-Blood.

A battle-pod kicked one of the cabin rows over, the sound of wood crumbling downward with plaster echoing around the Camp's confined space.

Everything was on fire. Dozens of Campers were dead or dying, others had managed to hide.

The most unlucky, however, were being dragged away by Chalrus soldiers.

Even as the Camp burned, Raptorius stepped out of his pod, walking into the Big House with a casual saunter, his dual-blades dangling off his belt.

Around the Camp's central hub building, was a line of heavily armored Chalrus soldiers. They all saluted him as he passed, their deep black body armor with red striping standing out against the sunlight.

As Raptorius stepped further inside, he could hear voices, and knew he'd reached his objective.

"…No, there isn't time for that! This Camp is about to fall! I don't know who they are, but they can see through the Mist, and they're tearing us apart!" Chiron yelled down the Pantheon through the IM he'd established.

"Chiron, you must calm down. We will…" Zeus began to respond, but trailed off when he, and all of the other Gods saw Raptorius and his armed escort enter the room.

Chiron stepped back, placing his hands in the air, the wiser half of his brain screaming at him that resisting would only get him killed.

As he discovered, neither Raptorius nor his men, paid him any mind. Raptorius simply brushed him aside, before he let his hands down.

"You…you're the one leading this…outrageous assault against our children!" Zeus yelled, staring Raptorius down, to be met with a cold glare from behind his visor.

"What do you want?" Athena demanded, her voice even more harsh. She knew this was the man who'd harmed her daughter. Severely.

"Your attention." Raptorius responded, his voice as dead-pan and cold as ever, even when speaking to the most powerful beings on Earth. "Someone wants to talk to you."

Pulling the same small, metal disc out of his hands, he pressed a button on the side, and an image appeared to the Gods.

The image was a blue hologram of Mobius. He was sitting in his same chair aboard his command ship, the view of Earth behind him. He wore the same clothing, his red suit, his yellow-white tie, and his black shirt. He had a cigarette in hand, still radiating smoke, as he smiled at the image before him.

"Lord Zeus." He began, blowing smoke from his mouth before continuing. "Are you enjoying the gifts I've sent you?" his voice was snide, and full of sarcasm.

"You!" Zeus raged, clenching his lightning bolt. "What is the meaning of this?" he demanded.

"Quite simple." Mobius said, sitting backward a bit, as he tapped his cigarette against his ashtray. "Did I not warn you that you would regret refusing me?"

The other Gods looked at Zeus sharply, all of them were angry. Percy may have been Poseidon's child, Annabeth Athena's, and Nico Hades', but ALL of the Gods had children at Camp Half-Blood. The same Camp that was in flames and chaos behind them.

"Don't look so surprised." Mobius laughed. "I warned you of the power we possess. Your insolence is costing you. And it will continue to."

"What do you mean?" he demanded, trying to ignore the looks the other Gods were giving him.

"You have been declared a threat. You're compromising a very serious matter. You refused to turn the situation over to us peacefully. So now, we will take it by force."

Zeus stood up, in disbelief of the arrogance of the man speaking with him.

"You are insane! Neither you, nor any of your ilk shall even set foot in Olympus, much less possess it!"

Mobius smirked evilly, lighting up another cigarette as he leaned forward.

"We'll see about that, Lord Zeus. But, I do wonder how your brothers and sisters will feel, when they discover that the deaths of their children are on _your _hands."

This got Poseidon's attention even further. He stood up, standing as far from Zeus as he could.

"You mean…you killed Percy because Zeus would not agree to your outrageous demands?" he asked, grabbing his trident.

"Correct. We had no intention of harming any of you. But, we also did not know that you inhabited the city that we have waged war to find. Perseus's death, while regrettable, was necessary. And now, because of you, Lord Zeus, his death will not be the last."

All of the Gods simply listened at this point, there was nothing more they could say. At least, not while Mobius could hear them.

"As you'll soon be able to see, my men have laid waste to Camp Half-Blood. And it will only be the first bastion to fall." He then stopped to take another breath from his cigarette.

A beeping sound echoed on a console next to Mobius, forcing him to look away for a moment.

"Well, I'm afraid you'll have to excuse me. More pressing matters demand my attention. But, I expect we shall be speaking again soon." He warned them, before turning around to face Raptorius.

"Raptorius. I'll leave the cleaning up to you." He nodded, before severing the communication, and a slight grin appeared on Raptorius's face.

"Be seeing you soon. All of you." He smirked slightly, before waving off the IM, and turning his attention to his men.

"Sir, we've got another one." One of them said, forcing Chiron to stand up, pulling on his arm.

Raptorius looked Chiron dead in the eyes, staring at him for a moment. Chiron could feel an ice coming from the man staring him in the face.

"Leave him. He is not worth the effort." Raptorius declared calmly.

"Sir, we have nearly a hundred Half-Bloods in custody." Another soldier reported, clutching his assault rifle.

"Have them sent to the _Ascension_. Lord Mobius will be pleased."

"Yes, sir!"

Far to the north, Steel's task force had been assembled, and was preparing for the journey to Camp Half-Blood. This force spelled doom for Orion Squad, if they didn't depart by the time they arrived.

"We're meeting the enemy today!" he declared over the intercoms, as the mechs under his command prepared for take-off. "Show no fear, show no blood, and show no mercy!" he jeered, silently joining in the cheers of his men, as they lifted off.

Within moments of the final jeer being uttered, the squadron of ships flew off into the skies, leaving only their after-trails behind. Little did they know, they were too late to save the Camp…

…


	6. Reports and Establishment

A/N: Hey all. Pressing onward. Keep the support coming, it really is motivating.

"Secure the area!" Steel yelled as he lept from the pilot seat of his fighter.

Within moments, shuttles were setting down on the remains of Camp Half-Blood, and Paladin soldiers were swarming the area, their shimmering-silver battle armor shining in the light.

Steel had his finger pressed to his ear, as his men rushed around him, searching every inch of the Camp grounds, from the cabins still standing, to the Big House.

A scowl bore across his face as he stepped through the grass, watching his men shine flash-lights into the darkened buildings, turn over rubble, and sort through the bodies.

"Sir, we haven't been able to detect any Chalrus presence here, but its clear that this assault is their doing." One of his men reported, snapping into a salute the second he approached him.

Steel took a second to look around, curious as to what would bring the Chalrus out here.

"Anything on why they were here?" he asked, stepping around the soldier to look over the remnants of the Athena Cabin.

"Nothing so far, sir. But, we'll keep looking."

Steel picked up a charred piece of wood, and looked it over from four different angles. He touched a finger against the blackened surface.

"Battle-Pods. They were here."

Steel then stood up, placing a few fingers in the air, and feeling a current shift around them.

"Alright, everyone listen up! We don't know why the Chalrus attacked this place, but we aren't leaving until we find out. This site is cleared out enough from their attack for us to use it as a forward operating base."

He then pressed his fingers to his ear again, letting his gun hang down at his side.

"Base Camp, get all of our equipment moved down to my coordinates, ASAP."

Steel was then approached by his second-in-command, who snapped into attention immediately.

"Report, lieutenant." Steel demanded.

"Sir, we found someone alive in the main building over there." She reported, pointing over to the Big House.

"Chalrus?" Steel asked, his left eyebrow rising slightly.

"No, sir. Civilian, by the looks of it."

"How badly injured?"

"We don't know yet, sir. We found him trapped beneath a collapsed ceiling board."

"Get him patched up and on his feet. We need answers."

The lieutenant saluted, before handing the orders to another soldier nearby, and tapping Steel on the shoulder.

"Can we talk for a moment?" she asked, nodding her head over toward one of the ruins. Steel nodded, and followed after her.

She glanced around for a moment, and when she was sure they were alone, she spoke.

"Julius, are you sure about this? We've already lost the _Araneth_; shouldn't we be trying to get off-planet?"

Steel shook his head, taking one of her hands in his own, glancing around carefully.

"No. We're too close. You've been with me since I started hunting; you know they haven't set up a presence on a planet since the war. There's something here that they want."

"But without knowing what that is, aren't we just flying blind?" she demanded.

"For the time being, perhaps. Look, my dear, I know you don't like it, I don't either." His grip on her hand tightened. "But, we can't let him escape again. If we go back now, there's no telling what he'll do to this planet."

She looked him dead in the eyes, her hand nearly clenching his wrist.

"That's what this is, isn't it? You can't let him go, can you?"

Steel's eyes narrowed, he looked her over for a moment.

"Jen, you've seen what he's done to you…to me, to all of us. Everyone here lost someone to him. None of us are going to flinch from our vow now, because of an unknown."

Jen sighed, leaning in closer to him, closing her eyes for a second.

"I know, and I want him dead too, I just…I can't lose you. Not again. This whole thing feels like a trap. Just be careful, alright?" she pleaded, tears starting to form in her eyes.

Steel smiled, placing a finger under her chin, before gently kissing her for a second.

"You'll be right next to me. I know you'll keep me in line." He winked, making her smirk a bit in response.

"I'm holding you to that…sir." She said, playfully shoving him for a second, before getting traffic over her headset.

"Yes?" she asked, her finger in her ear. "Understood."

She then looked to him, holding her gun at her side.

"The medics wanted me to tell you that our survivor is stable. They're taking him to the tent."

Steel nodded, returning his face to his war. He turned away for a second.

"Tell them I'll be along to question him shortly." He ordered, before taking a good look over the ruins of Camp Half-Blood.

While the Paladins sorted out the mess that Camp Half-Blood had been turned into, far above them, on board the _Ascension_, a panel of Chalrus doctors prepared to show their employer the fruits of their labors.

"With the implants given, the subject's physical properties have been increased a hundred fold. His fighting ability nearly matches that of Raptorius."

"And the organ modifications?" Mobius demanded, standing upright, communicating with the doctors via hologram.

"We've managed to nearly eliminate physical dependency on the lungs for oxygen. He being a son of Poseidon played well into our hand."

"Meaning?" Mobius paused to light up a cigarette, placing a hand under his elbow.

"He no longer needs his lungs, sir. He can take severe trauma to the chest, and his breathing will switch over to pumping water into his system, integrated as a substitute."

Mobius pondered for a moment. This wouldn't be the first time his scientists had defied the laws of nature.

"I see. And how will we maintain control over him, and these…upgrades?"

"Well, sir…that is a bit more complicated. We couldn't implant the direct control chip that we wanted."

Mobius's eyes widened for a moment. He breathed in his cigarette before letting the hand holding it fall to his side.

"And why is that?" he demanded. "I've sunk a great deal of money into this project. I want control over it."

"Sir, the combat and control implants would counter-act each other. His new abilities would, at best, not function at all."

"And at worst?"

"They'd overload and fry his brain the second we issued a command."

Mobius took a moment to discard his cigarette, and light up another.

"Then program him. We need him at his best, but he also needs to be reeled in from time to time. His file indicated as much."

"It should be possible, sir. We're a blank slate to him as it is."

"Exactly. He doesn't know that Raptorius is one of us. And when you're done, it won't matter. Am I understood?" Mobius asked, a threatening malevolence creeping into his voice.

"Yes, sir. It will be done. All other fields are reporting significant progress. They request more funding."

"Granted. I want all possible resources going into Jackson. He'll lead us to what we need."

The doctors saluted at once, before Mobius cut the communication, sitting back down in his chair.

"I was wondering when you'd be returning." He greeted, taking another puff from his cigarette.

Raptorius entered the room, bowing his head before his liege, the light from the Sun glinting off his blades.

"Did you enjoy the Half-Bloods I delivered to you?" he asked, crossing his arms.

"Indeed. You did well in bringing them here. They will assist us with our other projects. Some of them may even be useful in keeping Jackson comfortable."

"Forgive the insolence, but why is Jackson so important? You had me kill him."

"And you did your job admirably. But, I'm convinced that locked inside his mind, is the key to our goal. There's something within Olympus that we require, and he will lead us to it."

While Mobius and Raptorius discussed, back on Earth, within the St. Daniels Hospital, Annabeth was preparing to be discharged. She'd been healing at an astonishing rate since she'd arrived.

As she waited in the lobby with her father, she felt the faint scar still on her face, and brushed her arm against the one on her side. She knew exactly what she'd do when they let her go.

She'd go to Camp. Chiron would be able to aid her, and even if he couldn't, the Gods could…


	7. Academic Abduction

A/N: Back once again, everybody. The Chalrus get serious in this chapter. Be warned…

Four days after Camp Half-Blood's destruction, Jen and her Paladin unit found themselves on a shuttle, bound for downtown Manhattan.

Jen stood up, gripping one of the ceiling handles, for use in emergencies.

"Alright, people. Listen up." She began, loading her rifle quickly. "We don't know much about where we're going. All we know is that the signs fit a Chalrus attack."

All of the soldiers aboard nodded grimly. Their foe was not one to be underestimated.

"I want ears sharp, and heads on swivel. Intelligence suggests they may have hostages."

"Ma'am, what about the local authorities?" one of the soldiers asked.

"According to our reports, they lost the target area nearly six hours ago, and aren't having any luck getting it back."

"Will we have to worry about non-combatants?" another soldier asked.

"From what we've been able to gather, yes. Choose your shots carefully."

When there were no more questions, Jen looked out the window and swallowed hard. Steel had placed her in charge for this. He had negotiating to do.

_"He never did like politics." _She smiled to herself. They'd gotten this information via tapping into the New York Police Department's radio chatter. Though, Steel was, at that moment, working on brokering a deal with the United States Government.

_"We aren't this planet's law enforcement." _She thought to herself, closing her eyes. _"If Julius thinks this has Chalrus finger-prints on it, I have to trust him." _

She was torn from her thoughts by her pilot activating the intercom system.

"Ten seconds to landing!"

She braced herself when the shuttle hit the ground, and the doors opened up.

She stepped outside the shuttle first, her company following her. She was met with the sight of a large, imposing building.

There was a sign below the double doors, and another out on the sprawling lawn.

_"Welcome back to Goode High School!" _it read, perhaps a bit too cheerfully.

She clutched her gun tighter, as she and her men took in the sight around them. There was a massive NYPD barricade around the school, and an even more massive crowd behind the yellow tape.

All parents, relatives, friends, and family of the students inside.

Jen then turned to face her men, wiping any trace of doubt from her expression.

"Alright, I'll take a team of two in with me to investigate. The rest of you are on reserve. Go!"

Stepping up to the main point of the barricade, she was greeted by the ranking police officer on the scene.

"Ah, you must be the reinforcements we were told to expect. I'm Captain Adams. I'm in charge of this barricade."

Jen greeted him with a handshake, looking over his shoulder.

"What's the situation, Captain?" she asked plainly.

"This is just a typical High School. About six hours ago, they sent out a 911 call, asking for assistance. I've sent four units of men inside that cursed bastion…none have come back." He told her, scowling a bit at the building.

"I'll take my team in and scout it out. When I radio you, send your men in." she told him, as she and her escort prepared to go inside.

"Very well. We'll await your signal. Good luck." The Captain said, secretly glad it wasn't anymore of his own men he was risking.

Jen and her team made their way to Goode's main entrance without any problems.

When they entered, it became immediately clear to Jen why Steel thought the Chalrus were behind this.

There were bodies all over the school's main lobby. Dead students and faculty in the chairs they'd been sitting in. The school had three flat-screen televisions mounted in the area for announcements.

All of them were broadcasting the Chalrus Imperial Insignia, rotating back and forth on itself.

She and her men were startled when a speaker came active, and a voice began speaking over it.

"Attention students of Goode High School. Our forces have taken control of the building. We have no desire to harm you. Surrender peacefully, and you will not be harmed. Resist…and we cannot guarantee your safety." An announcer broadcast over the PA system.

"The Chalrus are definitely behind this. Let's press forward." Jen ordered.

Moving deeper into the school's main entrance, they passed a Plexiglas window revealing to them an exit. But, what drew their attention was the sound of screaming.

They looked over and saw three Chalrus soldiers, clad in their black and red body armor dragging a teenager through the door by her legs.

The last one wasn't touching the girl, merely scanning her with a device on his wrist.

Forcing herself to look away, Jen ushered for her men to continue down the hall.

They entered the building's hallways, and found a scene of chaos down each one. Lockers hung open, students lay dead on the floor, some of them with their hands up.

The Paladins could only stare and keep moving. They were all hardened against Chalrus brutality.

As they continued down the halls, they heard voices coming from the end of one of the hallways.

Two Chalrus soldiers stood in front of a boy's bathroom door, their guns at their sides.

"Why not come out peacefully?" one of them offered. Jen and her team could hear a muffled response from the other side.

"Why don't you bite me?" A voice answered from the other side, fierce and defiant. To Jen, the voice sounded female.

"We can do this the easy way, or the hard way. It's up to you."

Before the person on the other side could respond, Jen signaled her team. They opened fire on the Chalrus soldiers. Caught off guard, the two fell in seconds.

Jen then approached the door, giving a hand signal for her team to stay back.

"Hello?" Jen called out, her ear against the door. "Who's in there?"

"I didn't buy it from those two, and I don't plan on buying it from you either." The voice responded. Jen could tell this was definitely a female, but could discern nothing else.

"I'm Lieutenant Corinth, 1st Battalion of the Paladin Expeditionary Force. I'm here to help."

It took a few moments for the girl behind the door to respond. When she did, she sounded a bit less skeptical.

"Well…you aren't asking me to come out. What do you want, then?"

"What's going on here?" Jen asked. "Do you have any idea why this school is being attacked?"

The girl paused again. She seemed extremely nervous, as she spoke up again.

"They're here for me. They've called me out by name a few times over the PA system. They showed up this morning, kicked in the front door, and started shooting or rounding up anything that moved."

"That sounds familiar…" Jen muttered to herself, repressing her memories of the past.

"Listen, the people attacking your school are Chalrus soldiers. Do you know why they'd be after you?"

"Chalrus?" the girl repeated, not sure what to make of their title. "I'd never heard their name before, but I have seen their logo."

"Where?"

"They've been displaying it on every active monitor in this school since they took over the server hub, but I'd seen it before in a run-in with one of their assassins."

"Do you know which one?" Jen asked again. _"This doesn't make sense. The Chalrus are as secretive as they come. They don't make public spectacles of themselves."_ She thought to herself while waiting for an answer.

"Raptorius, I think the name is. He killed my boyfriend about a week ago, and I know for a fact that he's in charge of this attack."

"Then whatever they're after, Mobius is taking it seriously…" Jen whispered to her men, who grimly nodded in response.

"You said they're here for you. What are they doing with the others? And who are you, exactly?"

"I've spent most of today hiding anywhere I can. But, I've seen what they're up to. The students, teachers…anyone who wasn't killed when they got here gets dragged off, kicking and screaming."

"It's their favorite tactic." She nearly joked, grimly. "You still haven't told me your name."

"Annabeth Chase." she responded, slowly opening the door.

While Annabeth and Jen talked, and tried to work out a plan, in the school's main yard, the Chalrus were processing their captures, and loading them into shuttles.

A man, wrapped in a layer of thick, black armor with red eye-holes stood looking over the whole scene. The teenagers were being scanned, and loaded into shuttles. The ones who refused to go quietly were rendered unconscious.

"Sire, the evacuation is nearly complete. The authorities attempted another breach." A captain informed the man.

"Add their bodies to the piles being sent back." The man ordered. "What of the girl, and her data?"

The Captain pulled a laptop from his bag, and handed it to the man. Daedalus's laptop.

"We retrieved the girl's personal computer. However, she is still hiding within the building."

"No one leaves until she is found. And if she is harmed in any way, I will hold you personally responsible, Captain." The man threatened.

"I understand, sire. We'll continue searching, but…"

"But?" the man demanded.

"Do we need to keep broadcasting over the building's intercoms? According to the intelligence from our agent on the inside, the girl is the only one left in hiding."

"If that is the case, then no. Cease broadcasting. Disconnect our signal from the hub as well. As soon as she is found, I want everyone else ready to complete the evacuation."

The Captain saluted in response, and stepped away. The man then pulled a disc from his arm, and gently tapped it.

Before him, appeared an image of Mobius, still sitting in his chair, a cigarette in hand.

"Milord, our work is nearly complete."

Mobius breathed in for a moment, an evil grin playing across his face.

"Excellent. We'll begin rooting out the Half-Bloods from the school's population. Did you retrieve the data on the Labyrinth, or the girl?"

"We have the data. The girl is still unaccounted for. But, I've ordered my men to continue hunting until she is found."

Mobius tapped his cigarette against his chair's ashtray, his head turning sideways slightly.

"Good. We need her mind to assist in interpreting the data. Though, I'm sure keeping her intact will not be a problem for you, Jackson." Mobius grinned darkly.

"No, sire." Percy responded, bowing his head.

"That's what I like to hear. When you're finished down there, report to Raven Rock at once."

"Yes, sire."

Mobius then terminated the call, and Percy turned around, to fix his eyes on the school.

_"You were always crafty, Annabeth. But, I know your tricks. We'll be re-united soon enough." _Percy spoke to himself, watching his men process and catalogue the remaining students.

Inside the building, Annabeth had told Jen and her team that the Chalrus forces were using the back-grounds as their forward operations post.

"I overheard some of their patrols talking before they found me." Annabeth said as they walked. "They were talking about wrapping up. I…I think I'm the only one left."

"Then they'll be concentrated in the courtyard. Perfect."

Jen then stopped cold, pressing her fingers to her ear, looking around a second.

"This is Lieutenant Corinth to all Paladin forces. The path is clear! The Chalrus are using the building's back as a staging area. All forces attack!"

Jen then flashed a wicked smile to Annabeth, tossing her a gun from her back.

"Ready to get some payback for your boyfriend, and your classmates?" she asked.

"Like you have to ask." She smirked, taking hold of the weapon and chasing after Jen and her team.

In the back, the Paladin movements were well-known to the Chalrus assault forces.

"Master! They're making their move! The Paladins are assaulting the front!"

"What?" Percy demanded, before looking at the Captain dead on. "Where are our forces concentrated?"

"Nearly all of them are here, sir! I'm ordering our search teams to fall back!"

Percy scowled. He couldn't afford to wait anymore. The Paladins had pushed up his time-table.

"Order all forces to commence with the evacuation! Forget about the girl, extraction is all that matters!" Percy yelled, not just to the Captain, but over every radio channel he could.

"Sir!" the Captain yelled, pointing to the school's back doors. "They're cutting through the doors!"

Percy calmed himself, his implants allowing his logical side to take over.

"Order Orion Squad to cover our back. Lieutenant, how many shuttles are left?"

"Three, sire. All of the captured students have been evacuated. The last three are for us."

Percy nodded, noticing that the Paladins were nearly through the door.

"All forces, take positions! Fall back unit by unit!"

Then, an explosion shook the outside. The doors were open, and Paladin shock-troopers came charging through.

Jen and Annabeth weren't far behind, but they allowed the reservists to get in position before going out. The firefight was already pitched, and it had only been seconds.

"There!" Annabeth pointed to a central figure directing the units to fall back one by one. "That's Raptorius!"

Jen stared hard at the figure for a moment, before reeling back a little bit.

"No, Annabeth…it isn't." she said, surprise evident in her voice. "Raptorius doesn't wear a mask."

Annabeth strained her ears as the gunfight went on, and she could hear a heavily synthesized voice that reminded her just slightly of Percy.

"Talith, cover our back! Orion, with me!" he signaled, a small unit of men forming around him as they retreated.

"Press the attack!" Jen ordered, signaling her forces as she rushed outside. "Don't let them escape!"

As she gave her orders, the first of the three remaining shuttles lifted off, the Chalrus soldiers aboard continuing to take shots at the Paladins on the ground.

Percy swung around, an automatic pistol in his hand. He caught sight of Annabeth with Jen, and scowled.

_"You're very lucky, Annabeth. I don't have time for a pursuit. Today, anyway…" _

"Orion, deploy turrets!" Percy ordered, scrambling backward toward the shuttle, Orion Squad slowly following in tow.

They weren't a definite roadblock, but they were slowing the Paladins down, delaying their advance. Their soldiers were pinned. They could do nothing but watch as the Chalrus got aboard their shuttles, one by one.

Another shuttle lifted off the ground, quickly disappearing behind the trees, leaving only one left for Orion.

Jen and Annabeth were moving up to Percy's position, they watched as Paladin soldiers died from turret fire, but slowly overwhelmed the hasty defenses.

Annabeth caught eyes with the man leading the Chalrus forces, and he seemed so…familiar to her. As he began to step aboard his shuttle, she increased the tempo of her pursuit.

"This is it! Orion Squad, fall back now!" Percy ordered, standing aboard his shuttle, as Orion Squad rushed past him and onto the last shuttle.

"You'll be mine soon enough, Annabeth. None can hide for long." Percy muttered as the shuttle's door closed, amidst a hail of gunfire from the Paladin lines.

Moments later, the final Chalrus shuttle was in the air, its cylinders powered up and moving it forward. Jen had a look of complete rage on her face, as she turned toward a heavy company taking up the rear.

"Shoot them down!" she ordered.

"Ma'am, it's no good! They're too far for a lock-on!" one of the heavies responded.

It was over. With Annabeth being the exception, the Chalrus had completed their abduction of Goode, and were returning to their base…

…


	8. Concordance of the Past

A/N: Not a ton of action in this chapter. With Goode High School's population now in their custody, the Chalrus begin to plot out their next move. It also delves a bit into their history, and the deteriorating situation on Olympus.

Mobius sat in his chair, looking out a gigantic window, which gave a gorgeous view of the sun from its horizon. On either side of him, was a massive Chalrus Imperial Standard.

In front of those standards were two men, standing an exactly equal distance apart, each one wearing a black robe with a white mask, and carrying a scythe.

On the grand marble floor stood two long lines of men and women. On the left, they wore finely pressed black and red uniforms, the shoulders and collars lined with gold. All with rows of medals pinned to their chests.

On the right, were representatives of the business world. CEO's, Executives, and other corporate leaders. Each of them carried a folder under their arm, and had a Chalrus logo pinned to their suit.

Mobius lit up a cigarette, easing back in his seat, looking out at the vista before him, crossing his legs.

"I'm ready." He announced casually. "Begin."

One of the men in the right row stepped slightly out of line, opening the folder under his arm.

"Yes, your majesty." He bowed his head, before continuing. "In the banking sector, our 'Atlantis' operation has reached 80% of its projected effectiveness. We now control one and a half percent of the world's currency."

"In the financial sector, our strong-armed plans are running smoothly. We now control the majority of the world's trade in steel, oil, and other key items." A woman read off from her board.

"In the military sector, our forces will be expanded with the addition of seven new dreadnaughts. Construction to be complete within the month. Our naval forces on Earth are adding a new wing to the submarine fleet."

Mobius seemed to perk up a little bit at this. He sat forward, lighting up another cigarette.

"What of our agents within the world's governments?" Mobius demanded.

"Sir, we have at least five deep-cover agents in every major world government. The intelligence they have been providing us is invaluable." One of the officers answered.

"And of our fronts?"

A female officer stepped out of line, reading from her folder.

"Sanctuary United continues to provide financial and provisional support to Raven Rock. Firebase: White, Nova, and Zalith were all relocated to the Poles, on your orders."

Mobius folded his hands, letting his cigarette burn itself out in his chair's ashtray.

"And what of Olympus?"

Another soldier stepped up, bowing slightly before reading from a clipboard in his hands.

"The Olympians are in a fit of hysteria, my lord. Mistrust and anger is rife. According to our sources, they bicker and fight with each other atop Mount Olympus, believing our work to be the doing of their rivals."

Mobius laughed a bit, his head leaning to the side a bit as he pulled another cigarette from his suit.

"The fools are playing right into our hands." He laughed, crossing his legs in the opposite direction. "Is Chiron continuing to cooperate?"

The same officer nodded slightly, flipping a page in his report.

"He was reluctant, following Camp Half-Blood's destruction. But, the safety of the Half Bloods in custody was enough leverage against him."

Mobius's eyes narrowed, and his free hand curled into a fist.

"And what of this girl…Annabeth Chase. Has she been found yet?" Mobius asked snidely.

"My lord, we had direct confirmation that she was present at the school, but none of our patrols managed to find her in time before the Paladins arrived."

Mobius breathed in for a moment, exhaling smoke as he stood up.

"Very well. Commit any spare resources to her safe apprehension immediately."

Mobius stood silently for a moment, before turning around to face the panels of people behind him.

"Ladies, gentlemen. It's time to sever the head of the snake."

"What do you need of us, milord?" they all asked in unison.

"Officers, begin mobilizing your soldiers. I want all forces ready to be moved anywhere."

"And as for the corporate wing…" Mobius trailed off, lighting up another cigarette. "You will be our shield. You will keep our activity hidden from the public. Hidden from prying eyes. We've made enough public spectacles already. We will not emerge again until the time is right."

They all bowed at once, as Mobius came down the stairs, his two main fingers clutching his cigarette.

"Yes, milord!" they all said at once, before Mobius waved them all off.

When the crowd had filtered out, Mobius sat back down, lighting up another cigarette, and looking outward at the space before them.

"Computer?" Mobius called out.

"Yes, master?" the VI responded.

"Summon Perseus and Raptorius to me immediately. I have their new assignments…"

"At once, your majesty."

Meanwhile, down below, at the ruins of Camp Half-Blood, now the Paladin forward operating base, Annabeth was marveling at how much the Paladins had brought in, and just how ruined the Camp was.

The Paladin engineers setting up pre-fabricated buildings and other perimeter gear were careful not to disturb any of the ruins, leaving them as broken as they were when the Chalrus left.

Annabeth stared out at the ruins of the cabins and the amphitheatre.

_"I wonder where they all are now. Or what the Chalrus are doing to the ones that are still alive."_ Annabeth thought to herself, crossing her arms.

She felt a presence approach her, standing at her side. It was Steel; his arms were also crossed in a similar position to her own.

"I'm sorry for the losses. We didn't detect them in time." He apologized, his tone grim, bearing a slight hint of guilt.

Annabeth inhaled, closing her eyes for a moment, before looking over at Steel.

"It's alright, they aren't what's on my mind." She answered plainly, giving him a small smile for his sincerity.

"Jen, erm…the Lieutenant told me about your boyfriend. You should know that Raptorius is the best assassin the Chalrus have. If he was sent out, your boyfriend must have attracted Mobius's attention."

Annabeth raised an eyebrow, looking over at him, turning slightly.

"Mobius?"

Steel sighed, taking a drink from a flask he'd had stashed in his armor.

"Mobius, the Supreme Commander of the Chalrus Armed Forces, and the sole Emperor of the Chalrus Empire."

"So, Percy's death was his doing, then?" Annabeth asked, not bothering to hold back Percy's name.

"If Raptorius was involved, as you claim, yes. Mobius holds him back, sends him against only the highest priority enemies."

"You seem to know quite a bit about them." Annabeth commented, leaning slightly to her right.

"I've been fighting them since before your father was born. They've been a nemesis to the galaxy for eons. Come." Steel gestured for her to follow him.

"What's going on?" she demanded.

"There's something you need to see. You need to understand the enemy that we face. The enemy that your…Olympus faces now."

"You know about us?" she asked, incredulously. She figured they had to know something was amiss, but…

"Indeed." Steel laughed slightly. "The Mist that you use to shroud yourselves doesn't work on us. Our sight is…better, shall we say."

Annabeth grinned a little bit as she walked, as a thought entered her mind.

"You've been talking to Chiron, haven't you?" she chided.

Steel smirked a bit, continuing to walk with his rifle swinging from his back.

"Perhaps." He answered.

He pulled a tent flap aside for her, and gestured for her to step inside. Within the tent was a large monitor, and beside it a shelf of what looked like books.

"What is this?" she asked, curiosity taking over her senses.

"This is the archive. Not the full archive, of course. That would require this entire island, and then some. But, it's enough to remind our soldiers what they fight against."

He gestured for her to watch the screen, as he placed a small stick from one of the books into the monitor.

_The monitor revealed a temple, shrouded in weeds, and covered in vegetation. Atop its apex, a single flame stood bearing light. _

_Around the flame stood three figures, each of them wearing a black robe, and each standing on a different corner of the brazier, forming a triangle. _

_ "Are they prepared?" one of them asked in a hushed whisper. _

_ "Aye. The ritual must be taken now. They have blessed us, there is no going back." Another answered. _

_ "Very well. Present your wrists to the flame of his majesty." The third spoke up, raising both hands in a stretch, before bearing his wrist with his companions. _

_They all then drew daggers, and each made a cut to their veins, each allowing blood to drain from their wounds onto the fire itself. _

_The blood fueled the flame, allowing it to grow, expand, and become stronger. _

_ "It is done." The third man spoke again. "The pact has been made. Sealed in the blood of ourselves, the father." _

_ "His majesty shall cleanse the wicked from this plane, and usher us to ascendance." They all said in unison, blood still dripping from the slits on their wrists. _

_ "Lord Tyrannus." The third man spoke again. "We are your servants. Sworn in blood and oath." _

Steel's voice cut in, as the footage ended. Annabeth was shocked by what she'd seen.

"What did I just watch?" she asked, resisting the temptation to throw up, watching blood fuel fire.

"What you saw is nearly ten thousand years old. The first Chalrus took a blood ritual, and swore themselves to Lord Tyrannus, the ruler of The Masters."

"The Masters?" she repeated, trying to wrap her mind around the idea of entities darker than these Chalrus already were.

"The Masters are beings of…incomprehensible power. Tyrannus is their unified voice, but there are only three of them, if the legends are to be believed."

"And they pledged to serve them?"

"Yes. Tyrannus offered them 'ascendance.' It's still debated as to what exactly that means. But, regardless of the deal they made, it turned their entire race into a merciless Empire."

Steel looked away as the visions came back to him, of his service that had ended only months ago.

"Our order, the Paladins, was created long ago to safe-guard against the evils of the Chalrus Empire, and whatever bidding Tyrannus compels them into."

"So The Masters sent them to war?"

"They were always a border skirmish. They would make incursions every year or so, but they would never go beyond the fringes of our territory. Until…about three years ago."

"What happened?"

"Let me show you." He said, taking the stick out, and replacing it.

"This is from my homeworld – Ino'sath."

_A sea of black and red soldiers appeared through the screen. Their rifles were held above their heads, and their mouths screamed praise and joy to Lord Mobius, the prophet of The Masters._

_Behind them, what looked like a glorious city was burning. Buildings were collapsing, and civilians were being dragged out of them and thrown into cages like animals. _

_More Chalrus soldiers assembled around a massive pit, being dug by more captured civilians. _

_ "Shall we commence with it, sir?" one of the soldiers asked, his voice jubilant and blood-thirsty. _

_ "Be on with it." The commander answered, his voice sounded bored. He'd seen what was about to happen a hundred times before. _

_All the civilians were tossed out of the cages, and into the pit, as the Chalrus legions roared with an incomprehensible bloodlust. _

_The soldier who had asked permission hit a button on the Commander's wrist. _

_Massive jutting spikes shot out of the ground, impaling every single one of the people in the pit, and shooting them up into the air. _

_The Chalrus celebratory screaming only got worse, more hungry. Some opened their mouths to catch the torrents of blood coming down from the bodies. _

_ "Their sacrifice for ours!" some screamed. _

_ "Lord Tyrannus demands they die!" _

_ "There shall be not a drop of blood left between the lot of them! Hail to Lord Mobius!" _

Annabeth closed her eyes, but her ears still picked up on the sounds. The Chalrus soldiers commenced into eating the flesh of the dead, right off the spikes they'd been impaled on.

_"These aren't living beings…"_ Annabeth thought to herself. _"They're animals…"_

Steel shut it off, sensing her extreme discomfort. She looked at him, a slight bit of urgency in her eyes.

"But, you defeated them, right? Why are they here, then?"

"We defeated them. We killed their twisted government – The Triumvirate. But, we never caught Mobius." Steel answered, a note of shame creeping into his voice.

"And now he's running things."

"Yes. All we did was create a vacuum, and he used his vast wealth and massive support within the Chalrus armies to take over. And he's even worse."

"Worse than mounting people on spikes and…_eating_ them?" she nearly exclaimed, finding that hard to believe, before reminding herself that this was the same man who ordered that her Seaweed Brain be torn apart from the spine up.

"Yes…precisely because he doesn't do that. He doesn't make a spectacle out of his operations. In some of the things he orchestrates, if you don't look hard enough, you'd never know he had a hand in it."

_"The worst enemy is the one you cannot see." _The quote entered Annabeth's mind immediately.

"Well, if he's here for us…for Olympus, then I want to help stop him."

Steel smiled, placing a hand on her shoulder, before quickly pulling away.

"Good. We're going to need the aid. It's safer for you with us anyway. I'm sure you're well aware that the Chalrus have their sights set on you now."

Annabeth nodded slowly, the images of her friends and classmates being dragged off kicking and screaming by the Chalrus flashing through her mind.

She saw people that she hated screaming, and trying to grab anything they could, as the Chalrus pulled them away by their legs. People she would have hit, if she got the chance, she instantly felt truly sorry for.

Seeing what the Chalrus were like beneath their impassive black armor made her feel even worse.

"Are you alright?" Steel's voice tore her from her reverie.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just…thinking about school. Would they have come even if they weren't after me?"

Steel thought for a moment, and Annabeth got the sense that there was more to that question than she thought.

"I would have to say probably not. According to the chatter we've been intercepting, they're hunting down any Half-Bloods they can get their hands on, but they wouldn't have risked a public scene just for that."

_"Heh, fancy that. I'm valuable to the same people who killed Percy. Aren't the Fates fun?" _she cynically thought to herself. 

"Well, enough of my rambling questions. What's our next step?" she asked, her voice almost giving away a little too much eagerness.

"Now we wait. We figure out what their next move is, and move to stop it."

Before Steel could continue, the two were interrupted by the tent flap being folded back to allow access to another person.

Chiron stepped inside, looking a little nervous, his face possessing some signs of saber rattling, but otherwise, he seemed fine.

"Ah, Annabeth. I'm glad I managed to find you." He smiled warmly.

"What's going on?" she asked, crossing her arms again. She liked Chiron, but he often bore bad news, usually from the Pantheon.

"I just received an IM from Zeus. They want to see you and…Steel, was it? The Pantheon wants to speak with you both."

Steel nodded, one of his hands clenching into a fist as he stepped forward slightly.

"I imagine they have plenty of questions. And I'm sure they have just as many for you." He nodded to Annabeth.

"Zeus said it needed to be immediately. I'll leave you two to prepare." He smiled, before stepping out.

He then managed to duck behind a set of boxes and a tent, where he pulled out a drachma, and poured a bit of water from a canteen over it.

Within moments, an image of Mobius, sitting on his chair with a cigarette in hand became visible.

"I did as you asked, you filthy swine." He muttered angrily, not wanting anything to do with him.

Mobius smirked evilly, sitting forward a bit, toying with his lighter.

"Excellent. Your campers get to live another day. Continue to assist, and I'll add another week."

Chiron scowled deeply at Mobius for a moment, but then gave a resigned sigh.

"Be warned." Mobius began, taking a breath from his cigarette. "Fail to deliver, and…" he nodded to his side.

Behind him, two soldiers clad in black and red dragged a struggling Half-Blood up to the IM, whom Chiron immediately recognized as Clarisse.

"Let go of my wrists, and we'll see how well you fight!" she yelled, struggling desperately, until she saw Chiron's face.

"Chiron? What…what is this?" she snarled, trying even harder to break free.

Mobius then stood up, flashing Chiron an evil grin as he stepped to the side.

"Well…allow me to demonstrate." Mobius smirked, gripping Clarisse's hair with his gloved hand, before taking another breath from his cigarette.

He then proceeded to ram the rest of it into her eye, a sadistic grin crossing his lips while she screamed in pain.

"Take her back to her cell." He ordered under his breath, grabbing another cigarette from his suit.

"Yes, master." The guards responded, before dragging her away.

"If you fail me in the slightest, I will put their eyes out, one by one." His eyes narrowed, and his tone became ice.

Chiron was appalled; he closed his eyes for a moment, before opening them again.

"Very well, Lord Mobius. I shall give you what I can."

Mobius grinned a bit, taking a moment to exhale a large cloud of smoke.

"That's what I like to hear." He then cut the communication.

Behind him, Mobius could sense the presences of both Percy and Raptorius.

"I'm glad you two could arrive. The time has come to strike at the very core of Olympus itself."

"What do you suggest?" Percy asked, the synthetics in his voice giving it an edge.

"We will destroy the Big Three. Zeus can stay alive until the final phase. But, the other two, however…" Mobius trailed off, before standing.

"Raptorius, you'll be leading Orion Squad into the Underworld. Kill Lord Hades, and recover as many of the damned as you can."

Raptorius silently nodded, before stepping out, twirling his blades in his hands.

"As for you, Perseus…" Mobius smirked, turning away to face the window. "I believe it's high-time you paid your father a visit…"

…


	9. Trouble on the Homefront

A/N: Hey guys. Back again. This chapter will tell the tale of the Chalrus siege of the Underworld, and the repressed history of Raptorius the Butcher.

Nearly two weeks had passed since the abduction of Goode High School. Raptorius had deliberately waited for the event to die down, before initiating his master's plan.

"Orion Squad, take positions." Raptorius commanded, as he and his personal guard marched into the Underworld, the 7th Legion waiting just beyond the River Styx.

Mobius had given Raptorius access to all that he would need to conquer the Realm of Death, and he intended to do just that.

He had brought in Centurion Shield-Bearers, Battle-Pods, Titan-Class mechs, and many more assorted units to crush any resistance they would face.

Raptorius himself stood at the precipice of the river, staring down at its twisted waters. He saw his own face reflect into it, and the cursed formation twisted his mind, forcing memory to the surface.

_The smell of death circled around his head like a torrent. Blood stained his armor, and his rifle was out of ammunition. _

_Raptorius looked down at himself. His legs were twisted, and he couldn't feel his arms. He looked at the skin beneath the armor – the shining silver armor._

_Feeling pain jolt through his every nerve, he forced himself to crawl forward, a slight clanking reminding him that his service pistol was still attached to his belt. _

_He heard the screams as his comrades fell all around him, their voices drowning in their blood filling his ears. Their bodies, thick with plate crashed against the dirt and sand with a thud. _

Raptorius shook his head, shaking off the visions of the past. He knelt down, taking in the scent of the Underworld, feeling truly repulsed by it.

He allowed his hand to slide into the Styx, feeling the water burn against the material of his glove. He snarled in anger, flaring his nostrils, pulling his hand back out.

"Drop the bridges."

Within seconds, Chalrus engineers rushed ahead of him, dropping a thick, sturdy plastic into the water, allowing them to wade into it.

They brought up long cylinders, two at a time, using their plasma gear to dig into the rock around the river, placing the ends of the cylinders firmly into them.

Quickly getting out of the water before the Styx ate through the plastic, they all pressed buttons on their wrists, and the cylinders de-compressed into full-scale bridges. Between the four that were placed, there was enough room for a convoy to cross.

"Plant the banners."

Two sets of Standard-Bearers rushed both behind and ahead, placing two banners of the Chalrus Imperial Armed Forces on either side of the artificial bridges.

Each soldier, even the ones inside the mechs saluted the banners immediately as soon as they were in place.

A small look of contentment crossed Raptorius's face as he issued his next command.

"Bring forth the guide."

Two Chalrus shock-troopers appeared from the massive group behind him, nudging forward Charon, the Underworld's doorman.

He seemed terrified. Only the dead were usually able to enter the Underworld, and no one EVER came in force.

"Your instructions have proved…tolerable." Raptorius nodded, much to Charon's relief.

"I know my way around this place, Raptorius. Is there anything else you or your men need?"

"Where is Hades?" Raptorius instantly demanded.

Charon hesitated, as the pieces began to click in his mind. This massive force was here for the God of Death.

"His Palace is at the heart. You'll have to pass through the Fields of Asphodel, and near Tartarus."

Raptorius nodded, signaling for his advance force to begin moving across the River Styx, into Asphodel.

He then proceeded to draw his blades, and his men knew what this meant. They instantly took hold of Charon's arms, forcing him to his knees.

"This wasn't part of our deal!" he screamed. Raptorius smirked slightly.

"My orders come first. No witnesses." He spoke, before jamming both of his blades into Charon's skull, and tearing out the other sides, splitting his head open in three different directions.

Charon fell to the ground, dead. And unfortunately for him, the Chalrus were in the Underworld. There would be no place for the dead to rest anymore.

Raptorius then pulled a small silver disc from his pocket, pressing the side, as his small army moved into the Fields of Asphodel behind him.

A blue, transparent image of Mobius immediately became visible, the smoke from the cigarette he was smoking also evident in the background.

"My lord, we have secured the entrance to the Underworld. My men are advancing into the Fields of Asphodel."

Mobius smirked wickedly, leaning back in his seat before cocking his head slightly to the left.

"Excellent. Ensure the death of Hades, and the capture of his Palace. Then, we can commence with the harvest."

"What do we do with the other occupants of the Palace?"

"Try to take Persephone alive, if possible. She can be ransomed back to the Olympians. If not, then add her to the harvest. Dispose of anyone else you find."

"As you wish, Master. And when the Olympians discover our invasion?"

"Chiron will not betray us. And when they do find something amiss, I have other plans in motion. Don't concern yourself."

"Yes, Master. Your will shall be done." He bowed his head, before Mobius cut the communication.

While the Chalrus siege of the Underworld commenced, back up on the surface, there was trouble brewing within Chalrus lines.

Raven Rock was the Chalrus main base of operations for North America, and it was where the survivors of their attack on Camp Half-Blood were being detained, along with the Goode High School students that had been marked either as Half-Bloods, or as candidates unworthy of 'Indoctrination.'

"Please keep your hands empty and visible at all times." An automated voice announced to the base's prisoners.

Clarisse brought a hand to her still-pained eye as two Chalrus soldiers dragged her back to her cell.

The automatic door slid open, and they tossed her inside without a backward look.

They threw her hard, her face slamming against the concrete floor. She was sure they'd have broken her nose doing that, if she hadn't hit the floor with her cheek, not her face.

She sat up, looking over her drab surroundings. They'd allowed her to keep a few of her things – a Death Metal poster, some of her drachma (the ones that they hadn't seized for 'investigation'.)

She laid down on the bed, nursing her eye.

_"I knew there'd be trouble when they said they were taking me to their boss." _She thought to herself, a scowl born across her face.

She didn't have much right to complain, though. All in all, she had it somewhat better than a lot of the others. The ones the Chalrus hadn't killed within the first few days had been largely beaten into submission.

"Speaking of…" she muttered to herself, as a bell began to ring around her, the noise filling her ears.

"The Commandant has called an announcement. All prisoners are to report to the main hall immediately." The automated voice announced.

Clarisse scowled, pulling herself off her bed. That voice had become the bane of her existence. It announced everything: wake-up, sleep, food, messages, propaganda, and the worst of them…executions.

The Chalrus made punishment for infractions of their rules swift, brutal, and merciless. The method favored by the guards was hanging. Slow, agonizing, and painful.

Reluctantly, Clarisse pulled herself out of bed, and forced herself to walk the distance to the main hall, along with every other prisoner.

_"Better that I walk there than have them drag me there." _She cynically thought to herself.

Then, a thought crept into her head. The plans that she and every Camper she could get on her side had been working on. They were nearly ready to try to escape.

All they needed now was another main assembly gathering, which the Commandant was so gracefully providing.

She took a second to look below her, at the prison block's ground floor – the Main Hall. She could see the tired, beaten, and beleaguered faces of her friends, enemies, brothers, sisters, and everyone else.

_"All victims. None of them deserved this." _

As she entered the Main Hall, she took a spot amidst the crowd that had been forcibly assembled there.

The view before them was the typical stage that the Commandant would appear on to speak from. Behind it, however, was a massive curtain, something that wasn't usually there.

Clarisse tapped the shoulder of one of the people in front of her, and to her surprise, it was Grover.

"Grover?" she feigned surprise. "Is everything ready?"

Grover looked around for a moment, before whispering back to her.

"As it will ever be. I haven't heard anything from Chris or Juniper, though." He told her.

"They won't let us down." She assured him, ignoring the pit in her stomach about Chris not reporting in. She shook her head.

_"Get a hold of yourself! Now is NOT the time to be worried!" _she heard her fighting instinct scream at her.

She heard the room go silent, as the Commandant appeared on stage, his arms crossed.

"Honored guests, it is such a shame to have to call you here this morning." He began. Clarisse blinked. This wasn't what she planned. Grover looked back at her, his voice a frantic whisper.

"This isn't an announcement. They're performing an execution!" he hissed.

Clarisse clasped a hand over his mouth, nearly knocking him over.

"Shut it, goat-boy! The plan is still in place! Now, calm down and get ready!"

The Commandant nodded at an unseen person to lift the curtain behind him. When it was raised, it revealed the rest of the stage, and five people.

Clarisse, and indeed the rest of the Camp all recognized them. Malcolm, Connor, Travis, but the last two got her attention: Juniper and Chris.

She felt her eyes sting, and her stomach twisted with rage, her sight fixed on Chris with a rope around his neck.

"These five have violated the sanctity of this prison. And by proclamation of his gracious majesty, Lord Mobius, the punishment is death!" the Commandant declared, the crowd getting angry.

That was when Clarisse pushed the plans forward; as the Commandant approached the lever he needed to pull to kill all of them.

She pushed rows of prisoners out of her way, calling on her inner strength as a daughter of Ares.

She even managed to knock the Commandant's two guards out of the way, sending them nearly flying across the room.

She knew that if she didn't do this perfectly, everything she and her friends had worked for in their escape plan would be ruined.

She rushed the Commandant as his wrist was about to pull the lever forward.

Extending one of her legs, and going into a sweeping motion, she knocked the Commandant onto his back, before wrapping her hands around his throat, tossing him against the wall.

But, not before pulling an access code driver from his pocket.

The audience was absolutely stunned by this move of rebellion. She clutched the device in her hand, seizing the microphone.

"This isn't the way this was meant to happen, but we can do this! They can't take us all!" she declared, riling the crowd up.

"Do you want to be free again? To get some payback for your dead friends, boy and girlfriends, and anyone else these bastards took from you?" she demanded, giving this speech as much effort as she put into getting to the stage.

Her methods seemed to be working. Already the crowd had descended on the Commandant's guards, and stolen their weapons. Others had come up behind her to cut the ropes from the necks of the condemned.

"Then rise up! Grab anything you can use, and follow me!" she screamed, before leading the crowd out of the Main Hall.

According to the specs they'd managed to look at, they needed to get through the main courtyard, and from there, it would be a straight shot to gate access, then freedom.

They all marched out with renewed purpose. The fight that had been kicked out of them had been kicked right the hell back in, and they were all eager for payback.

Clarisse stood at the head of the pack, the rage of Ares still flowing through her veins, aiding her in rallying her desperate comrades into an even more desperate escape attempt.

There wasn't a doubt in her mind that the Chalrus were aware of what was going on the second she knocked the Commandant on his ass.

As they marched through the hallways, and made their way to Raven Rock's courtyard, they were surprised to discover there hadn't been any opposition to them since they left the Main Hall, and there was no obvious opposition outside.

It was then that she became suspicious, but ordered that they move forward anyway.

Clarisse was no Annabeth, especially with rage hazing her eyes, but even she had trouble ignoring what the Chalrus had done with this exterior space.

Their banner hung across all the buildings, which were reinforced with a space-titanium alloy, and allowed to glimmer a reddish-black in the sunlight.

The center of the courtyard was furnished with a massive fountain, with a statue mounted to its top. The statue was dedicated to Lord Mobius. A name that all of the prisoners here had come to despise more than anything.

Through walking, they were nearly on the other side. And not a single shot had been fired at them.

"Going somewhere?" a voice called out behind them. The entire crowd turned around almost at once.

A massive company of Chalrus vanguard soldiers was around them, and at their head was a face that nearly everyone in the crowd recognized. The one who'd called them out, and was brandishing a pistol in his hand.

Percy Jackson…

…


	10. The Harvest

A/N: Continuing forward.

"We're taking heavy shots from the left!" one of the Hunters called out.

"They're busting through the left line!"

Thalia popped her head out of the cover she was entrenched in. The Chalrus 7th Legion was bombarding anything that moved within the battlements of Hades' Palace.

Clutching her bow, and wiping sweat from her brow, she stood up, firing a few shots at the Chalrus advance teams, trying to clear a path to the entrance.

"Alright, I want all hunters to switch to flaming arrows! Target their siege engines! Give it everything you've got!" she ordered.

"But ma'am, we're running dangerously low on the slicks for the flaming shots!" another hunter called out, ducking an artillery shell which fired behind her and shook the Palace.

"I don't care!" she was cut off by one of her hunters being picked off by a sniper rifle. The poor girl was shot through the head, and fell off the side, her blood staining the ridgeline.

"Throw everything you have at their main battle-line! They can't be allowed inside!"

Down below, Thalia was unaware that she was being watched by Raptorius himself. Holding a pair of binoculars, he looked over the supportive defense line the Hunters had taken in the Palace's battlements.

"Watch your fire around her." He ordered, his voice keeping an icy edge to it. "Lord Mobius wants her alive."

He motioned for his artillery to continue their relentless barrage. Every shot tore into the Palace like a cyclone, and more was destroyed every moment.

The Hunters of Artemis had been passing through the Underworld when the Chalrus had begun their assault. Hades' defenses proved to be no match.

The ruthlessness of Raptorius's assault took the armies of the dead by surprise. The Chalrus quickly overwhelmed the Fields of Asphodel, and bombarded the Isles of the Blest into craters.

As for Tartarus, Mobius gave Raptorius direct orders to release the prisoners contained within its cold, dark depths. These monsters would be allowed to wreak havoc over the entire Underworld, until Hades was dead, then they would be harvested with the rest.

Just a few hours before this, Thalia recalled the last order Hades sent out across the Underworld. He commanded all forces to retreat to the Palace; they would focus their defense there.

And they were being slaughtered. The Palace was falling apart, and already Hades was looking for escape options.

She was torn from her thoughts by another barrage of artillery; the shock of the impact forced her into a collision with the wall in front of her.

She grabbed one of the Hunters nearby, her eyes falling to below the battlements, as the Chalrus engineers brought up the same cylinders they'd used to cross the Styx to cross the impasse between the Courtyard of the Damned and the Palace itself.

"Order all Hunters to fall back inside! We can't hold out here!" she said, standing herself up, as the Hunter she was yelling at scrambled to obey.

She took one more look outside before joining the rest. For a brief moment, she caught sight of Raptorius, motioning for the main legions to advance, and she could see him looking back at her.

To her, there was nothing but malice in his stare. There was no soul in his eyes – there was only a machine, doing what he was told.

While the Underworld descended into chaos, far above them, Percy's force had quickly dispatched Clarisse's patched-together uprising.

The only two left standing deliberately were Grover and Clarisse, and Percy was smirking at them both.

"Jackson?" Clarisse snarled out, her hands clenching into fists. Grover was simply wide-eyed. He rubbed his eyes again a few times to be certain.

"In the flesh." Percy smirked, nodding to his men. Two of his guards quickly restrained her.

"You're supposed to be dead! And you WILL be when I get my hands on you!" she yelled, struggling frantically against her guards.

"That's not going to happen." Percy said calmly, brandishing his Desert Eagle.

He pointed it squarely at her head, as two more soldiers took hold of Grover.

"Percy! You can't do this! She's one of us!" he pleaded with his long-time friend.

Percy fired twice, ensuring that she died instantaneously. He then turned to look at Grover.

"I just did."

He knelt down, to look his oldest friend in the eyes. He frowned a bit.

"I'm surprised at you, Grover. So hostile to something so simple."

Grover seemed incensed, he didn't bother struggling against the hands that held him in place – he saw what happened to Clarisse.

"What are you talking about, Percy?" he demanded. "What did they do to you?"

"They did what needed to be done. And I'm doing the same."

He clenched his fist, looking away for a moment, his cape draping behind him.

"The Chalrus are only doing what any of us would do in their place. They're searching for a way to survive."

"Survive? Survive what?"

"Even I don't know the face of the immortal enemy. The coming darkness. But, I know that they've come searching for the key to stopping it. And we're in the way."

"In the way? Did you see what they did to Camp, Percy? Their searching grounds are our homes!"

"That is irrelevant. The suffering of a few does not match the complete extinction of us all. And now, it affects us too. Humanity will not be spared anymore than the Chalrus will, or the Paladins, or ANYONE."

"If I stand against the Chalrus, I'm standing against our very way of survival. I won't allow the human race to go extinct. I saved it from Kronos, and I'll save it from this."

"You're selling your soul, Percy! You're becoming a drone to fight an enemy you don't even know exists! What would Poseidon think? What would Annabeth think?"

Annabeth. The name gave Percy pause. In the beginning, he obeyed Mobius to protect her. But now…something was forcing her name deeper into his mind, out of his thoughts.

"She will either join us, or become a casualty. You will do the same."

"Percy…you're scaring me, man. Don't do this!" Grover pleaded. The same evil smirk crossed Percy's face once again.

He shot Grover five times. Twice to the head, and three more in the chest.

"I just did." He whispered.

He then nodded to his men, who began picking up the bodies.

"Take them to processing. Get them out of my sight."

As the Chalrus crews worked to drag the dead Half-Bloods away, not far away, on Olympus, word of the Chalrus assault on the Underworld was being taken in by the other Gods.

_The IM revealed Hades' Palace falling apart, as the Chalrus artillery barrages crushed it bit by bit. _

_Raptorius stood at the head of the force, nodding his head slightly, ordering the legions to advance. _

_Dozens of soldiers rushed past him to the main doors, and engineers began wiring explosive charges to tear them open. _

_Hades was pacing around his throne, as the massive room shook every few seconds. _

_ "I blame you for this, Zeus!" he raged at the Gods through the IM, when he heard pounding against the door to his throne. _

_Taking hold of his blade, he concentrated his power. He glared at the Pantheon one last time. _

_ "You fools! If you abide the destruction of my realm, yours WILL follow! Mark my words!" _

It was then that the door came down, and a small wave of Chalrus shock-troopers swarmed the room, slaughtering the Throne Room's guards.

Within moments, Raptorius strode into the room, twirling his blades, a slight smirk on his face.

"Orion Squad. Secure the Palace. I'll deal with him." He ordered, his soldiers quickly fanning out of the room.

He met Hades' unrelenting wrathful stare with the same cool demeanor he always did.

"You'll pay for your insolence, child! You think you can destroy the Lord of Death?" Hades snarled.

"You think you're the first 'God' I've killed?" Raptorius demanded, as his fists began to glow with a dark purple light.

The light shot through Raptorius's arms, striking Hades, coiling around his arms, and seeping into his body.

"What…is…this?" he snarled, trying to regain control of his limbs.

"The power of the Empire." Raptorius answered, before using the purple tendrils around Hades to choke him, as he brought his blades to bear.

"The Underworld ends today." He whispered, before piercing both blades through Hades' chest, tearing to the left and right to split the torso open.

The energy of a God came torrenting outward, evaporating into the room, as Hades' body became enveloped in the essence of death.

"This…can't be! I am the…God…of Death! The damned…will NOT have me!" he roared, as the last bits of life were drained from him.

"They do now." Raptorius spoke, as one of his men approached him.

"Sire. The Palace is secure. Persephone surrendered to us, and we're beginning the harvest now."

"Excellent."

Raptorius waved the soldier off, and used the same disc on his arm to contact Mobius.

When the image of his master appeared, Raptorius bowed his head, as was custom.

"Master, the Underworld has fallen. Lord Hades is dead, and Persephone has been captured alive. The harvest is already underway."

Mobius lit up a cigarette, an evil smile crossing his face.

"Excellent. Then the next phase of the operation can begin."

"Are you certain Perseus is ready?" Raptorius inquired.

"He will be. And if his mind isn't, his implants will do the work."

"Yes, Master."

While the Chalrus were beginning the final phase of their work in the Underworld, on Olympus, the Gods had witnessed all of the previous events, and had no idea what to do next.

"Did he say 'Perseus'?" Zeus demanded, sitting forward on his throne.

"It certainly sounded like it." Athena answered, her fingers meshing together.

"Keep your heads. These are the same people that killed Percy. Even was he alive, he would not betray us for them." Poseidon argued.

"Agreed. But, we cannot forsake the possibility that they restored him to life somehow. They did make haste to steal his body afterwards, remember."

"This assault on the Underworld…and the…death of Lord Hades should be our primary concern." Zeus reminded them.

"Yes. What these…armies are doing should not be possible." Hermes noted, tossing a bag down at his side.

"We've witnessed the death of a God! We should be looking to our own defenses!" Hephaestus shouted, clutching his hammer.

"He is correct." Athena agreed. "If these forces came for Hades, it is logical to assume that they will come for the rest of us."

"The only question is where." Poseidon mused. And that was when Poseidon was IM'd by none other than Triton, his heir.

"Father!" he yelled, clutching his weapon at his side. "The Palace is under attack!"

Poseidon's eyes widened, and his fists clenched. He narrowed his view, and demanded an explanation from Triton.

Triton's response was to step out of the way, to let Poseidon see what was going on himself.

A massive fleet of submarines, painted an all-too familiar black and red were bombarding the Sea God's Palace, and everything around it.

The submarines were shaped like swordfish, with spiked edges along their tops. All of them bore the insignia of the Chalrus Imperial Navy.

"Can they be repelled?" Poseidon demanded. Triton looked nervous, as the background shook violently.

"The Elementals are holding for now, but Tyson's been badly wounded, and they're crushing the forges."

Poseidon stood up, whilst the rest of Olympus was dismayed. Poseidon was not popular among all the Gods, but all of them were in disbelief that the Chalrus would be bold, or brazen enough to attack Poseidon in his own element.

"Keep the defenses up as long as you can! I'm on my way!"

He then turned to the rest of the Olympians, with a look similar to the one Hades had on his face before he was killed.

"Sit there and watch, if you wish. But, if you idle too long, they'll come for you as well!" he warned them, before storming out, in a rush to save his Kingdom.

Down far below them, in the ocean's depths, a Garfish class submarine carrying the commander of the Chalrus offensive against Poseidon was already en route to the Palace.

"My lord, the Garfish fleet has breached Poseidon's main line. They're moving to neutralize the forges now." An officer reported in.

"Excellent. Order all Garfish to proceed with Operation D-2 upon my arrival." Percy ordered, fiddling with the sword in his hand.

"And order all forces to be prepared for company. No doubt Poseidon is on his way."

"Yes, sire. 6th Fleet out." The voice responded. Percy sat back in his chair, watching the waves go by, reaching his hand out to gently ripple the water around them.

_"I'm sorry it has to end this way, father. But, if we're going to survive what's coming, then you have to die."_…

…


	11. Revelations

A/N: And so the rush to keep the Seas from falling under Chalrus control is on. Also, Happy Birthday to me. :D

Annabeth sat in the shuttle as it descended beneath the waves. She could hear the currents and their frantic swirling and pacing.

The oceans were in a panic. The humans were calling it the greatest storm in the last two centuries, but Annabeth knew exactly why it was happening.

The Chalrus submarine fleet was pulverizing Poseidon's defenses, and they were probably laying siege to the Palace by now.

Steel sat across from her, tightening a clamp on his gun. He had his finger pressed to his ear, listening to a relay from Jen, who'd stayed behind to cover logistics.

"Alright you two, there's a small gap in the line down about twenty meters from where you are. If you keep emissions low, and chatter to a minimum, the Garfish aren't likely to detect you." She said to both of them over the communication system.

Annabeth twisted with her hat; she hadn't been anywhere near a body of water since Percy died. It bothered her too much.

"I'm guessing 'Garfish' is a submarine class?" she asked, looking out the pressurized window at the mass of submarines dropping bombs into underwater trenches.

"It's the designation for all Chalrus submarines." Steel answered, a scowl bearing across his face as he looked at them.

"I'm sure they're already inside the Palace right now." Steel muttered.

"This doesn't make sense to me." Annabeth commented. "How are they immune to the Gods? Poseidon should've swept them all away by now."

"The Chalrus have encountered beings similar to your 'Gods' before. They harvested them. Each time they did, it made their armies stronger. Olympus won't have much defense if they continue." Steel answered grimly.

While Steel and Annabeth talked as the shuttle descended, in the courtyard of Poseidon's underwater Palace, Percy was directing the assault against the front door.

"Order the Garfish to focus on the Forges, I don't want them firing on us once we're inside, understood?" Percy demanded over the radio, clutching his sword in his hand.

"It is understood and shall be as you wish." One of the officers responded, signaling the submarines to break off direct bombardment, and instead focus on the Palace.

"Sir!" one of the soldiers ran up to Percy, holding his gun at his side. "We've detected an unidentified shuttle approaching from the west!"

Percy walked over to the set-up, and could see the radar ping, and immediately had an idea of who was coming.

"Ignore it." Percy ordered. "We must follow up on the momentum of our bombardment. Order all Vanguard units to focus on Triton and his Cyclops line."

"Yes, sir!"

At the front of the Palace, Triton took it upon himself to lead the defense until his father arrived.

He was overwhelmed. The Chalrus were pressing on every front they could open. Their submarines were cutting off any form of escape, and their ground soldiers were pushing hard against the front line.

Triton clutched his weapon, and signaled for the Earth shaker's army to begin a controlled fall-back into the Palace, as depth charges from the Garfish fleet began to fall onto the defensive lines, shattering emplacements, and killing droves.

While the Chalrus armies advanced on the Palace itself, far above them, aboard the _Ascension_, Mobius sat back in his chair, lighting up another cigarette, as he narrowed his eyes at the view before him.

Displaying on his video communicator was an image of Lord Ares, the God of War. An evil grin was creeping onto his face as he clutched his sword.

"Everything is in place." He reported, as Mobius took a breath.

"Excellent. You and your men move when I give the signal. I've made sure you'll have help."

"This had better work, Mobius. If it doesn't, it's my ass on the line."

Mobius discarded his cigarette, eyeing Ares with contempt.

"My people will do their jobs. So long as you do yours, and deliver on your end of the bargain, we will have no issues." Mobius's tone was icy, and it contained a great deal of menace.

Mobius then cut the communication, only to be met with another. He pressed the button with a sigh, looking forward.

He was met with an image of a furious Chiron, his arms crossed.

"You people are monsters!" Chiron yelled, clenching his fist.

"We did what had to be done. Clarisse was leading an insurrection, so I ordered Jackson to put it down."

"…Jackson...You…you never mentioned…" Chiron trailed off, his voice riddled with shock.

"That I brought him back to life? That he's now working against you? I'm sorry; it must've slipped my mind."

"This won't be allowed to stand!"

"And who exactly is going to stop me?" Mobius smirked evilly.

"It doesn't matter. I was a fool to trust your word. I won't give you another sentence."

Mobius tilted his head a bit, lighting up another cigarette.

"The act of passing information to us…has left you in an interesting position. If you cut your ties with us…we can't protect you from the consequences."

"I'll gladly face death than to aid you any further."

Mobius sighed a bit, breathing in the scent from his cigarette.

"Very well. Have a good day, Chiron. I have a feeling we will be speaking again soon."

Back down below the waves, Annabeth and Steel were arriving in the mess the Chalrus soldiers had left behind as they advanced into Poseidon's Palace.

The pair knew things weren't good. They could hear gunfire coming from inside. Screaming, the clattering of swords, the marching of boots in the halls.

"Your Sea God doesn't have much time left." Steel said to Annabeth, who looked to him with an expression of desperation.

"Tell Jen to signal the force! It's our only chance!"

Steel nodded, pressing his finger to his ear, as the two moved through the disheveled courtyard.

"Jen, order the naval units to advance! We have to move now!"

He took his finger off his ear a moment later.

"They're en route. If we go in now, we might be able to help. You ready?"

Annabeth drew her sword, taking a second to watch as the Chalrus tore their way through the Palace of one of the most powerful beings in existence.

"Ready." She nodded. "This one's for Percy." She muttered under her breath.

As the two entered the Palace, further inside, Percy was becoming impatient with the advance of the Legions.

"What exactly is the hold up? We have to move on our momentum now!" he demanded, his finger pressed to his ear.

"It's Amphitrite and Triton, milord. They've organized the remaining defenders in the Main Hall." One of the officers answered.

"Bypass them. I need help breaching the door to the Throne Room."

"But sir, if we bypass them, they could strike from our rear!"

"You'll do as I say, lieutenant. Now, bypass them."

"Understood, Lord Jackson. Sending engineers up to your area now."

That was when Percy got another communication over his headset.

"My lord, some of our forces have spotted Steel and one of the Half-Bloods advancing through the secured zones."

Percy's eyes widened. He expected Steel, but he had no idea she would be with him. He knew exactly who the Half-Blood was.

A nefarious grin crossed Percy's face for a moment. He then pressed his fingers to his mic again.

"Allow them to advance to the Throne Room. We'll deal with them then. They are NOT to know that we are aware of their presence. Am I understood?"

"Understood, sire."

Percy's eyes glowed red as he envisioned Annabeth in his head. His fist clenched around Riptide, which had been vastly upgraded with Chalrus mods.

"You escaped me once, Annabeth. You won't get so lucky again." He said to himself, turning his attention back to the door.

About a level below them, Steel and Annabeth were moving through the Palace, and discovered the mess the Chalrus left in their wake.

Valuable art was destroyed, furniture overturned, and the corpses of the dead lay everywhere.

"Strange that they haven't found us yet." Annabeth commented.

"They're likely focused on Poseidon." Steel answered, peeking his head around a corner.

"Or maybe you scared them off." She smirked a bit.

"Hah. If only." Steel muttered.

Eventually, they came across the elevator that would lead them to the Throne Room. The Chalrus had placed their banner at the sides.

"The Chalrus have it locked down. Give me a second, and I'll override it." Steel said, rushing over to a hastily set-up computer console.

Annabeth took a second to look at the Chalrus banner. She didn't know what inspired their logo, but in these past few weeks, she'd come to despise it.

It was the organization that had taken Percy, her Seaweed Brain from her, it was the organization that now threatened to take away everything and everyone she'd ever known in her life.

The name 'Mobius' crept into her head at that moment. She'd never seen the reclusive tycoon that was, according to Steel, the mastermind of all of this, but she hated him. Hated him even more than she did Raptorius.

She was torn from her angry thoughts by Steel, who shook her lightly.

"Elevator's here, let's go."

While the two ascended, up above them, the Chalrus had broken through the Throne Room doors.

Percy pushed them open and strode into his father's demesne without a backward glance. With Riptide in-hand, and a small vanguard of the Chalrus Reservist Guard behind him, he looked at his father.

Poseidon was seated on his throne, his Trident in hand, staring in complete disbelief at the sight before him.

Percy smirked, turning to his men, turning away from Poseidon for a moment.

"Theta Squad, lock down the door. Except for our…guests, no one gets in or out."

The lead soldier nodded, and waved his men to their assigned posts, as Percy strode into the room further.

"Surprised, father?"

"Perseus Jackson…this…this must be some trick. You'd never…"

"I'd never what, father?" Percy demanded. "I'd never turn against my own? Turn against those who were more than willing to consign me to death when I no longer served their purposes?"

"This…all of this….is this your doing?" Poseidon demanded, rising from his throne.

"Of course not!" Percy snorted. "My Master sent me here to…deal with you. Just as Raptorius dealt with Hades."

Before either one of them could speak again, the Chalrus Reserve Guard stepped into attention, and formed ranks, just as Percy had ordered. That meant that Steel and Annabeth had arrived.

"This will have to wait." He breathed, before turning around to face the door.

Steel and Annabeth entered the room, completely confused as to why the Chalrus soldiers on their sides weren't attacking them.

And that was when she saw him. He was paler, there were more scars on his face, and his eyes were red, but she'd never mistake his face.

Percy Jackson was alive.

She tossed logic completely out the window, and rushed him, nearly tackling him with a hug, before kissing him fiercely. A kiss which he returned, smirking inwardly.

"Percy…is it…is it really you?" She asked him, in a hushed whisper.

That was when Percy gut punched her, and knocked her backward, causing Steel to draw his gun, and the Chalrus soldiers to draw theirs.

"In the flesh." Percy smirked.

When Annabeth came back to her senses, she then gave Percy a once-over. His face was pale, as was his hair. There were scars around his eye and his lip. And his sea-green eyes that she'd loved so much were a crimson red.

His clothing was different too. It was all black. Then, a piece connected in her mind. It was nearly identical to what Raptorius wore.

And that was when she spotted the Chalrus logo on his chest, and could see the corruption seething through Riptide.

"No…no…this…this can't be right…" she breathed, trying to control herself.

"Believe me, it is." He spoke. She noticed his voice no longer contained a silly bumbling to it, or any degree of mirth, for that matter. It was cold, direct, and blunt.

"Percy…you'd…you'd never betray us! What did they do to you?"

Percy smirked, stepping toward Poseidon again.

"Let me show you."

He reached his hand out, and a swirling mass of dark ribbon energy came circling through his wrists, and out of his palm.

The force immediately struck Poseidon, denying him the ability to fight back, and slowly choking the life out of him.

"Perseus…" he breathed, as the energy became more powerful, and more tendrils came forth to crush the life from him, and bleed him away. "You…were…my…favorite…son…"

It was then that the Sea God morphed into a blue mass, which was absorbed into Percy's wrist.

Annabeth was beyond horrified. Steel had seen it before, but to say that Annabeth was in shock would be a massive understatement.

Percy had just killed a God. Killed. A. God. And worse than that, it was his father.

"You…Percy…you just…" for once, she was at a loss for words. Even Luke at his worst was nothing like this.

Before Percy could answer, a beeping noise could be heard in the room, and Percy smirked.

"Perhaps you'd be interested in a…conversation." He smirked.

Steel breathed in, and decided to deal with the soldiers pointing guns at them. Annabeth needed to see what was behind the Chalrus, and they needed an escape route.

As Steel tangled with the guards, (Like beating up small children to him.) Percy brought up an image before Annabeth.

Annabeth saw a man in a fancy suit, with a cigarette in his hand, sitting back in a chair that reminded her of a director's chair on a movie set. A view of Earth filled the background behind him.

"Jackson." He spoke, breathing in his cigarette. "Excellent work. We'll add the harvested mass to what we already have."

Mobius then turned his attention to Annabeth, as she realized who this man was, and her expression of horror, turned to pure hate.

"You!" she nearly screamed. "You did this to Percy, didn't you?" she snarled.

Mobius smirked a bit, tapping his cigarette against his chair's ashtray.

"I made some adjustments, yes. The reconstruction process demanded it. Fascinating technology, really. You must be Annabeth Chase. I've learned quite a bit about you."

"Oh? Well, here's a new fact." She scowled, stepping closer to the hologram. "I'm going to tear you limb from limb for this. Do you hear me? Limb. From. Limb."

Mobius chuckled a bit, leaning forward slightly.

"You're angry. Anger often stems from ignorance." This made Annabeth even angrier. No one called a child of Athena ignorant and lasted long. No one.

"And just what am I 'ignorant' of?" she demanded. "You've turned Percy into your puppet, and you're trying to kill the Gods. What am I missing here?"

Mobius discarded his cigarette, quickly lighting up another in its place.

"Without me restoring Jackson to life, you'd be dead right now. His interest in you is enough to keep you alive."

"Interest?" 

"For a child of Athena, you seem to take a while to catch on. Despite our…efforts, he retains attachment to you. Your safety is leverage."

Annabeth was disgusted by the casual tone this…monster took with using her as leverage against the love of her life.

"So, you brought him back to life, and brainwashed him. Why?" she demanded, unable to hide her rage, even if she'd wanted to.

"Perseus Jackson is many things. Most of them bad. But, you underestimated the worth of his mind. Locked away in his head is the key to something I want."

"That being?" Annabeth was becoming frustrated with this man's elusiveness to her questions.

"Hah, now that would be telling." Mobius then noticed Steel come back from thrashing the Chalrus guards.

"Ah, Julius. I should've known this operation would be your doing. But, you arrived too late."

"You're done, Mobius. You won't escape me again." Steel said calmly, his under-tone extremely angry.

"You've said that before. And you still failed. But, it doesn't matter."

Mobius then turned to face Percy, breathing from his cigarette for a moment.

"Perseus. Return to me at once. Deal with those two on your way out, would you?"

Mobius then cut the communication, and Percy stood with a smirk on his face.

"Gladly."

Annabeth stepped closer to him, praying to Zeus that there was still some part of his mind the Chalrus hadn't touched.

"Percy, it's me! Annabeth! Don't listen to whatever that…animal is feeding into your head!"

Percy drew Riptide, and for a brief moment, his eyes flashed to being green again.

"I'm sorry, Annabeth…" he breathed, the image he'd created shattered slightly.

However, before any of them could do anything, the dead God's Palace shook with explosions.

"Commander Steel!" a voice over Steel's radio spoke. "This is the 9th Sea Battalion! Engaging on your mark!"

The Palace couldn't endure another round. It began to collapse…

…


	12. The Coup

A/N: Hey all. Doing this thing again.

_Two weeks. Two weeks was all it took for the life Annabeth had to come crashing down. _

_An image appeared behind Annabeth's eyes. It was static, focused, and unbending. _

_She and Percy, hand in hand, sliding down Half Blood Hill, all those months ago, when their relationship had just begun. _

_It was never conventional, in any sense. But, it was theirs, and they were both contented. _

_Then, another image appeared to her. That fateful date. The movie she'd been dying to see for weeks beforehand._

_It had been a trap. _

_The image of Raptorius and his twin blades driving through Percy's stomach, blood torrenting from the wounds, before he cast his body to the floor like garbage. _

_She focused in on the image of Raptorius. His black hair hanging down on his shoulders. His blades in hand and his arms bent. _

_She couldn't say she hated him. Hate didn't describe her anger well enough._

_The view of his master was no better. _

_The blue tinted image of Mobius, in his expensive suit, sitting lazily in a chair, with a cigarette in hand, while he sent an army of monsters forth to do his bidding. _

_And then, there was Percy. Her Percy. The one who, less than a month ago, had been her boyfriend. _

_The image of him standing before Poseidon, with a company of Chalrus guards behind him burned in her mind. _

_And his eyes. Glowing red. They were emotionless, cold, and unrelenting. _

_She knew Percy would never betray her, or his family of his own will. _

_The images then began to play in sequence. Raptorius had rendered Percy unable to defend himself. He then delivered him to Mobius._

_Mobius paid the money, directed the doctors, oversaw the surgeries, and ensured the return of Percy Jackson as a Chalrus Lieutenant._

_And now, Percy was tasked with the destruction of the Gods. Whatever the Chalrus had done to him, it was clear that he wouldn't hold back. _

_The visions cut through her mind, infuriating her, as flames engulfed each one. She and Percy together were the first to burn, and the fire trailed back to one prevailing scar in her subconscious. _

_The logo of the Chalrus Imperial Armed Forces. _

Annabeth pulled herself up with a start, a gasp of air escaping her, as she tried desperately to analyze her surroundings.

Her back ached, and she realized that she'd been laid down on a row of seats that were meant for soldiers being dropped into combat.

She looked around, recognizing the interior of where she was as the shuttle she'd arrived at Poseidon's Palace in.

"Back from the dead, eh?" a familiar voice jibbed at her, and she saw Steel leaning on the door to the cockpit, his rifle slumped over his shoulder.

"What happened?" she asked, her voice still dazed.

"Our reinforcements." Steel answered simply, taking a seat across from her. "They were too eager, and opened up on the Palace. They nearly got us both, before the Garfish swooped on them. I carried you out, and back here."

Annabeth just shook her head. Her mind was racing with thousands of thoughts all at once. She didn't honestly care how she managed to escape, but there was another question that bubbled to the surface.

"What happened to Percy?"

"Heh," Steel hesitated, and it almost looked like he was smiling for a second. "Your boyfriend is made of smoke and mirrors."

He paused for a moment to place his gun down below his seat.

"As soon as our subs started firing, he vanished. One moment, he was looking at the both of us, the next, it was like he nor his men were ever there."

Hearing this made her pull herself up a bit more, letting her feet hit the floor.

"So, we couldn't save Poseidon." Annabeth stated out loud, hardly believing the words coming out of her mouth. "What's our next step?"

Steel grinned a bit, pressing his fingers to his ear for a moment, before looking at her again.

"While you were sleeping, the lieutenant passed me some useful information. We found their base."

"Their base?" Annabeth asked, incredulously. The Chalrus, while brutal, were extremely elusive. Annabeth felt herself writhe in excitement at the possibility of taking the Chalrus out, saving Percy, or both.

"Yeah, I managed to get a tracer on your boyfriend before he vanished. Jen's been following the signal for hours, and it's pointing us to a stronghold on Long Island."

Before Annabeth could respond, an IM appeared before her.

The mist shimmered, and after a few moments, a very startled and disturbed Chiron appeared before them both.

"Annabeth…I heard about what happened under the Ocean, I'm relieved you made it out alive."

Annabeth smiled, sitting up a bit, straightening herself out somewhat.

"Thanks, Chiron. Are you alright?"

Chiron looked over his shoulder nervously, and there were beads of sweat visible on his brow.

"No…that's why I'm IM'ing you. I need you both to come to Olympus…we have a problem."

Steel raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms, as he leaned against the shuttle door.

"What kind of problem?"

"It's Ares…he's leading a coup!"

"A coup?" Annabeth and Steel both exclaimed, nearly in unison.

"Yes…he left Olympus yesterday, and returned a few hours ago…with a legion of Chalrus soldiers. They're here to dispose of Zeus, and put Ares in charge."

Indeed, even as Chiron spoke, Olympus was in chaos. Chalrus soldiers had swarmed from their initial invasion point, and were moving through the city.

The main defense was around the Acropolis. The Gods had tried, and were failing, to defeat the task force. With Ares' aid, and the ruthlessness of their soldiers, Olympus was set to fall in a matter of hours.

Thalia, and the few Hunters that had managed to escape the Siege of the Underworld, were leading what remained of the rapidly deteriorating defense around the Acropolis.

"Get the rest of the squad into position!" Thalia yelled over the sound of distant gunfire.

"But, ma'am, we're running out of plugs for the holes!"

Another voice reached her ear, this time one of her compatriots within the Hunters.

"Ma'am, the Chalrus are breaking through the western perimeter!"

Thalia turned to her with a start, gripping her bow with an iron fist, and wiping some of the dirt and grime from her brow.

"What?" she snarled.

"Lord Ares is leading a battalion of Chalrus Vanguards up the western steps! They're almost through the gates!"

"Concentrate all fire on that traitor! Get the rest of Zeus's men up to that line! The western side holds, no matter what! Am I clear?"

"Yes, ma'am!"

Thalia looked over the defensive line from the perch she had one of her feet pressed on. She could see their line crumbling. Olympus wasn't prepared for a direct assault, and the Gods weren't proving any aid. Ares was shielding the Chalrus soldiers from any of their attacks.

While the assault progressed, and Annabeth and Steel made their way to Olympus to aid, within the Chalrus force in orbit, a new situation was developing.

"You're certain?" Mobius demanded, taking another whiff from his cigarette.

"Yes, my lord. The Invid definitely have a sensor nebula within this solar system. It will only be a matter of time before they discover us."

Mobius scowled, tapping his cigarette into his ash-tray.

"If we can see them, that means those fools in Victoria City and Taris can see them as well."

"My Lord, though we believe both Mars and Neptune have detected the Invid presence by now, we are confident they have not detected us, or our operation."

"Good." Mobius immediately answered. "They would compromise us nearly as much as the Invid."

"Just the same, my lord, I recommend that we speed up the timetable."

Mobius took a moment to look over the Earth, his eyes glimmering slightly, as he adjusted the tie around his neck.

_"They're coming for you. The signal has been sent." _He thought to himself for a brief moment.

"Get me Raptorius. Tell him to begin the attack on Hephaestus's forge."

The agent seemed perplexed, standing before Mobius with a pad in his hand.

"But, my lord, what of Jackson's assault on Olympus?"

"It was always meant to be a distraction. When the Paladins respond to the Gods call for aid – and they will, then order Jackson and our forces to retreat, and leave our friend Ares to his fate."

"And Jackson and his men?"

"When they're done having fun, order them to join with Raptorius. We're nearing the end."

"Yes, my master."

And so, the final chain of events was placed into motion. Ares was leading a coup, but it amounted to little more than a distraction, and a chance to rattle the Gods.

For Percy, however…he would have a rattling of his own before departing Olympus…

…


	13. Escape and Failure

A/N: Sorry for the delays with updating, April has been a busy and stressful month.

Percy stepped on the final step leading up to the Pantheon, a legion of Chalrus Vanguards behind him, as a smirk crossed his face. From the top step, he could see most of the city below them, including Annabeth and Steel, disembarking their shuttle.

"Master." He pressed into his ear. "We have company."

On the other end of the line, Mobius sat back in his chair, lighting up a cigarette, a scowl across his face.

"Jackson, our time-table has just been…pushed up. And that girlfriend of yours won't be alone. The Paladins will answer Olympus's call before long."

"And then what?"

"You and your men need to be gone before then. You won't have the numbers to take them on directly, and you've served your purpose."

"Raptorius has begun his attack?"

"He's about to. Lord Ares was expendable from the start…leave him to his fate."

"Very well, master. We will depart…" Percy trailed off when he caught sight of Annabeth directly, far in the distance.

"…After I take care of one final hang-up."

Mobius scowled, but nodded his head, breathing in from his cigarette.

"Get the chip off her. Then get out."

"Yes, sir."

Far below, Steel and Annabeth were working through the devastated city that was once home to the Gods.

Annabeth looked like she'd been hit with a truck. She'd been the architect assisting in the re-building. They weren't even half-way done with repairs from Kronos's assault before the Chalrus made their own.

The Statues had been knocked over, or crushed by armored vehicles. The Chalrus had been keen to hang their banners over every building they took.

The corpses of the dead laid everywhere. Many had died trying to surrender, but the Chalrus clearly weren't taking prisoners.

Others had slash marks on them that could only have been made by Ares, their slowly-drying blood all over the marble floors.

Annabeth walked through the battered streets in a bit of a haze, trying to avert her eyes from seeing everything she'd built knocked into rubble.

"Annabeth, are you alright?" Steel asked, holding his gun close to his chest.

"No…I'm really not. I helped build a lot in this place, and they just…destroyed it. All of it."

Steel shook his head, his face sympathetic.

"I'm sorry."

As those two walked, far ahead of them, Percy and Ares, along with a small legion of Chalrus soldiers were knocking on the doors to the Pantheon.

After a few moments of waiting, Ares pushed the massive doors open, his anger welling.

"Time to crash this party!" he exclaimed, as he and the Chalrus soldiers marched into the room.

All of the major Gods were seated, save for Poseidon and Hades, whose thrones remained empty…as they would always be.

"Ares!" Zeus thundered, grabbing his lightning bolt. "I should've expected as much!"

That was when Athena took notice of Percy, standing astride Ares, a blade in one hand, and a gun in the other.

"Jackson!" she nearly hissed. "So the rumors are true, then."

Percy smirked, stepping up to her throne with a careless abandon.

"Don't look so surprised, my Lady. I think we both expected it would end like this." He grinned, nodding to Ares.

"Never expected to be working with this punk." Ares nodded at Percy. "But, if it saves us from being annihilated, you better believe I will!"

"Is that what your new Chalrus allies have been telling you, Ares?" Zeus demanded. "Are you really so stupid as to believe them?"

"I've had it with you!" Ares roared, drawing his sword, and charging at Zeus.

Zeus parried with his bolt, before striking Ares with it, the God of War falling over onto the Pantheon's floor…dead.

Percy casually walked over to Ares's corpse, as though it were all within the plan.

Pulling a silver ball from his long jacket, he aimed it at Ares, the God's body disappearing into it, seemingly turned into vapor, and collected.

"Well, Jackson. You are all alone now." Zeus declared, an evil smirk crossing his face.

Percy smirked, looking to his side, as his soldiers took positions around the room.

"Afraid not, Lord Zeus." Clenching his fist, he prepared to speak again, before an arrow grazed his face.

Suddenly, the company of soldiers behind him was struck down, the same arrows piercing their skulls.

He scowled, as what remained of the Hunters of Artemis descended from the shadows, led by Thalia, who looked ready to explode in anger.

"Jackson?" she kept her bow out, checking her eyes again. "This was YOU?" 

Percy smirked again, turning to face her, his gun now fully trained on her.

"You like it? I'm rather impressed, myself."

"Drop the weapon, Percy. There's no way out and nowhere left to run."

Percy smiled, lowering his gun, and standing at the end of their bows, a smirk still on his face.

"You presume far too much of the situation, my dear girl. Truth told, the only reason any of you are still alive is a factor of time."

"What does time have to do with this?" Zeus thundered, his lighting bolt more than ready.

Before Percy could answer, he could feel Annabeth and Steel approaching, nearly at the top of the Pantheon's steps.

He smiled darkly, blowing a strand of hair out of his face, as he paced around them, refusing to drop his weapons, and not a word leaving his mouth, which infuriated the room.

"Have you nothing to say, Jackson? Usually you aren't ever bothered to shut your mouth." Athena asked, an inward smirk dawning on her.

"Right on time." Percy whispered, his grin still strong, as Annabeth and Steel entered the room.

The Gods took notice as well. Athena's face was visibly relieved to know that Annabeth hadn't been harmed.

"You're all safe!" Annabeth exclaimed, nearly ecstatic, when she saw Thalia and the other Hunters holding Percy at bay.

She walked over to them, placing a hand on Thalia's shoulder.

"I'll take it from here." She told her friend.

"But, Annabeth…" Thalia protested.

"No. Percy's mine. I'll deal with him."

She walked over to Percy, whose eyes lit up behind the visor. His target was coming to him.

She walked over to him, and punched him as hard as she could across the face. He didn't even flinch, and remained standing up.

"How could you, Seaweed Brain?" she demanded. "How could you just turn your back on all of us?"

His answer was simple. He grabbed her shoulders, and kissed her.

For a split second, she resisted him, but before long, she found herself kissing him back, wanting to believe that he could still be saved.

When it was done, Percy shoved Annabeth back, knocking her half-way across the room.

Athena was enraged. She stood up, her fists clenched.

"I warned you what would happen if you ever hurt my daughter, Jackson." She said, menacingly.

"Stick to your talents, Athena." He quipped, before placing two fingers in his ear.

From the open doors, all of them were able to spot a Chalrus gunship appearing before them.

"Target the supports." He ordered.

Moments later, the Gunship fired four rockets into the room, aimed at its support beams. Steel's combat instincts kicked in, having seen this done before.

"Everyone! Move!" he shouted, as the supports came down.

The ceiling began to crash into the floor, and Annabeth felt the floor around her giving way. She grabbed onto an edge, as it hung over an abyss from the rest of the floor.

She felt her grip weakening, and she looked up to see Percy, taking full advantage of the chaos, standing at the foot of Zeus's throne, accessing what looked like a…console of some sort.

Tapping a few buttons on it, he held out his wrist, and a stream of green data flowed into it, before he took notice of her.

Rushing to her, he took hold of her hand, just as she was about to fall.

"Percy…you…" she tried to finish her sentence, but before she could, she felt Percy pulling her up slightly, only to pull the chip to Daedalus's laptop out of her pocket.

"Next time, don't make me hunt for it." He scowled at her, before letting go of her.

As he walked away, she could hear him laugh something to her.

"The Chalrus Empire thanks you for all your hard work."

She consigned herself to death at that moment. Percy had broken her heart, and now had left her to die.

But, before she could slide into the abyss, another hand took hold of her. It was Steel.

"You aren't dying on me just yet!" he yelled, pulling her back up.

When her feet were on solid ground again, she gently pushed him aside, and ran after Percy, who was already outside the Pantheon doors, where his gunship was waiting to extract him.

She hurried into a run, picking up a stray pistol that had been dropped on the ground, and firing it at the gunship as she ran, desperate to stop him, to catch up to him…to save him.

She had no such luck. By the time she got outside the doors, Percy was already aboard the Gunship, and it was already in the air.

She held the gun dejectedly at her side, as she watched the Gunship fly off into the clouds, tears falling from her eyes.

_"You told me you loved me, Percy…how could you do this to me?"_ she thought to herself, falling to her knees, as a cold wind blew past her face…

…


	14. Threat Condition Declared

A/N: Well, finally found some motivation to keep going with this. So I will.

Annabeth didn't say a single word on the ride over to Raven Rock with Steel. She knew that what Percy was doing was only because of the tech the Chalrus had drilled into his head, but still…that didn't make it hurt much less.

Steel looked at her, a sympathetic look on his face, but he didn't say anything to comfort her. He knew it would be of no use.

"We'll be landing in a minute." Steel said, but there was a hint of surprise in his voice, something that made her look up.

The two looked at the sprawling complex built into the rock of Long Island. Even from the air, it radiated anger, malice, and hatred. Seemed fitting of the Chalrus Headquarters.

But, as Steel noticed, the base seemed empty. No one was firing at them. Turrets sat unoccupied, and shuttles painted black and red were rushing to get away.

Clearly, the Chalrus no longer had need of their base, so they were pulling out in full force. But why?

The two shrugged it off and grabbed their weapons as the shuttle landed, and they tentatively stepped off, looking around cautiously.

Stepping inside the front courtyard, the two came across the first horror of the base.

There were bodies of Half-Bloods, all of whom Annabeth could recognize. They'd all been massacred, and tossed into piles on the front lawn, which stood monolithically before them.

"Those…bastards…" Annabeth said, kneeling down when she found Grover's body sticking out among the many dozens of corpses that had been piled on top of him.

While those two explored the recently-abandoned Raven Rock, in the skies far above, events were being set in motion that would accelerate Mobius's plans, and set the Earth in a head-on collision with disaster.

Mobius watched the feeds coming through his monitor with undeniable distaste. Though his expression was blank, he watched the monitor closely.

The transmission being sent to the Ascension was from the Chalrus homeworld – Malachor.

_The world of Malachor had been decimated over the last decade. The planet had been on the verge of collapse for a very, very long time, and now it seemed it was on the horizon. _

_An immeasurable number of ships sat in orbit over Malachor's crumbling skies. The planet radiated with a terrible green energy, as the ships of the Martian and Neptunian fleets dropped untold numbers of fission bombs into the cracks and crevices of the cracking surface. _

_The Chalrus Armada, in what full-strength it still had, was in full retreat. The Traxus Apex – the very heart of the Chalrus Empire, was splitting apart under the weight of the bombs being dropped. _

_On the ground, the MN Expeditionary Vanguard was tearing through the Chalrus defenses, as they fell back, desperate to escape before the attack destroyed the planet completely. _

Anger flashing on his face, Mobius seized his communicator, pressing into it.

"High Admiral Garroth, what is going on?" Mobius demanded, to be met with a wave of static, before finally a broken voice answered.

_ "My liege! Our defenses are crumbling! We have 12,000 ships, and they need a place to go!" _

Mobius's eyes went red, his grip on the communicator turned to a vice.

"Garroth, if you have 12,000 ships, how are you losing?" Mobius demanded, a sinister calm to his tone.

There was another moment of static before Garroth would answer again.

_"MN overwhelmed us! We don't have exact numbers, but we believe they have at least 50,000 ships around the planet, or moving to quarantine it off!" _

It was then, that Mobius knew the time was now. The decision he was about to make – the order he was about to give, would make their path irreversible, but…there was no other option.

"Order all ships to my coordinates immediately. Once there, all ship Captains are ordered to begin an immediate assault upon the planet called Earth."

_"A full-assault?" _The High-Admiral exclaimed over the radio. _"Are you sure, my liege?" _

"You will do as you have been instructed, Garroth. We are running out of time."

_"Yes, my liege…but it will mean abandoning the homeworld." _

Mobius sighed. This was the most difficult decision of his life. But ultimately, the Chalrus homeworld was doomed either way. If the Martian and Neptunian assault didn't finish it off, its failing core would.

"I am aware, and I don't care. The order stands." Mobius said, before cutting the communication.

And so, the stage was set. The entirety of the Chalrus Armada was en route to Earth. However…it would not be the only one.

Not all that far away, in the orbit of the planet Mars was something that looked like a cross between a space station and a planet.

Moon Base One, as it was called by the Martian military. The Martians had spent decades turning their planet's closest moon into an incomprehensibly large space station and Command Center.

It was from here, with the help of the galaxy's other super-power – the Neptunian Empire, that the peace in the galaxy was maintained.

Ever since an incident in 1947 that led to the loss of a Martian 'Viper' fighter over Earth, the planet had been deemed a 'Quarantine Zone.' Humanity didn't know about alien life, and both Mars and Neptune did not wish to disturb that.

However, that time of innocence was drawing to a close. The massive fold maneuver of the entire Chalrus fleet from the skies above Malachor did not go unnoticed by MN High Command.

Inside one of Moon Base One's massive communication levels, thousands of sensors were tracking the Chalrus fleet…and its destination.

"Sir! We're picking up massive re-fold activity near Earth's outermost perimeter!" one of the communication officers exclaimed, gesturing a superior over to his station, to look it over.

The senior commander looked at the monitor for a moment, his expression becoming more and more somber by the second, before he straightened up.

"Get me online with Victoria City and Taris. And raise the Emergency Broadcast channels." He ordered.

"Channels raised, sir!" an officer told him. He took a microphone from the console that emerged, and spoke through it.

"This is an emergency broadcast to all MN ships on active or standby deployments. An Invid Sensor Nebula has been detected in the Sol system, as well as massive refold activity from the Chalrus main fleet."

The officer paused for a moment, reading over orders sent via-text communications from MN Command.

"As of now, Threat Condition Two is now in effect. All active deployments are being re-routed to the Sol System, all standby deployments are instructed to scramble readiness teams, and be prepared for possible contingency protocols."

After a few moments of frenzied communications and chatter through the room, along with every other level of Moon Base One's communications wing, an officer spoke up.

"Sir, Fleet Admirals are requesting an exact location. Where are we going?"

The senior officer looked over the tablet he was holding. He could hardly believe the text, but it was plain. MN Command had given its orders.

"All active MN forces under Threat Condition Two are instructed to proceed to the third planet in the Sol system. Call sign: Earth. Repeat, all ships are to proceed to Earth immediately."

Now the stage was truly set. Over 50,000 Chalrus ships would soon be in Earth's orbit, and well over 150,000 ships of every size, color, and stripe from the combined MN fleet were pursuing them…all under the watchful gaze of the Invid Sensor Nebula, the herald of the worst-case scenario for Earth's future…

…


	15. Final Prosecution

A/N: Continuing on.

"Spirits…" Steel said aloud, his voice a mix of surprise and sheer awe.

He and Annabeth were deep inside Raven Rock, the headquarters for all Chalrus operations in North America, and as they discovered, the Chalrus had left in a hurry.

The two were inside Raptorius's personal office within the building. Steel was on the still-active computer marked 'High Classification', while Annabeth was digging through the head assassin's file cabinet.

What she was finding was unbelievable, but still, she was reading it in full printed text. Reports from Mobius about the situation on the Chalrus homeworld.

According to what she was reading, it was beginning to make sense to her why the Chalrus seemed so brutal, so desperate. They were losing a massive war with the galaxy's authorities.

There were also files on Percy. The first was a dossier. The amount of knowledge they had on him seemed…almost impossible.

If Steel was correct, then the Chalrus had only been here for a few months, and then…she came across something else in Raptorius's files, which filled in a lot of the blanks.

"By the Gods…" she said, holding up a beige yellow folder with a printed label on the side.

'Archive of Theatre of Operations. Classification: 5-G. Theatre: the North Atlantic. Requisition: The _CIF Thanix_. Re-classification: The _'Princess Andromeda'_.'

The name of Luke's former ship. A passenger liner that had been commandeered by the Titans. What did the Chalrus have to do with that?

Suddenly consumed to know more, Annabeth opened the file further. The pages went into remarkable detail, and told a story. A story of a proxy war that had been waged right under their noses all this time.

The Chalrus had been operating on Earth since the end of World War II, but had only recently stepped up their operations, when Kronos came to them, asking for their assistance.

The bargain the King of the Titans made with the Chalrus Empire was simple. The Chalrus would do everything in their power to ensure a Titan victory over the Olympians, and in return, the Titans would then turn over complete control of Olympus to the Empire.

The order for Percy's assassination only came because he attracted Mobius's attention through his actions in the war. As Annabeth read on, each word made her more and more sick.

Apparently, it was the Chalrus who indoctrinated not only Luke, but all the other Half-Bloods who'd joined the Titans. The plans dictated in these files signaled that the after the Gods were defeated, the Chalrus were to turn on the Titans, and wipe them out as well.

"He'd been doing this all along…all of it was _him._" Annabeth muttered to herself. She couldn't bear to speak Mobius's name aloud.

The image of him, smirking in his seat with a cigarette in his hand made her quake with rage.

He'd ensured the Third Titan War would happen. Without his aid, Kronos's attack would have taken far, far longer, and likely wouldn't have been as strong.

But, there was something else, something far more recent. The gaps to be filled in about Percy that were listed in the dossier given to Raptorius the week before his death, were provided by someone Annabeth, nor any Half-Blood would ever have suspected…someone they just couldn't suspect.

Chiron had told the Chalrus everything. He'd told them everything he knew about the Gods, Olympus, the Half-Bloods, the mythological world in general.

They'd held the Camp's safety over him like blackmail, and in the end…they still betrayed him.

Annabeth then closed the folder, a few tears forming in her eyes.

That was when Steel spoke up, his eyes having been glued to Raptorius's computer.

"Annabeth…you need to see this." He said, his voice devoid of emotion.

Annabeth was curious, but when she got near enough to see the computer screen that Steel was looking at, she understood his surprise.

The monitor was flashing red, and the flash was accompanied with a message inside the bindings of the emergency bar.

'To all Imperial units operating within the Sol system, this is a message from his majesty, Lord Mobius – the homeworld has fallen. Repeat. The homeworld has fallen. The main fleet is inbound for the third planet. Callsign: Earth.'

The first half of the message scrolled away, and the second quickly made itself visible.

'All units on Earth are ordered to commence with Emergency Contingency Plan 78 – all out-assault on New York City. All units within North America are to converge on the designated rendezvous points within the Labyrinth. All extra-continental units are ordered to commence assault on the city in advance of the main fleet.'

The two were both frozen. It was Annabeth who finally broke the silence, reading over the words again and again.

"The…main fleet?" she asked him, incredulously.

"That's over 50,000 warships. This…this is it." Steel said, his voice full of conviction. "This is Mobius's end-game. He's throwing everything he has at Earth, and hoping it'll lead to his victory."

That was when Annabeth noticed something. A set of orders that had been specifically sent to Raptorius's computer.

"Wait…take a look at this." She said, pointing to a sub-set of text far below the main bulletin.

'Received Message.'

From: The Imperial Operations Desk – 'Termination' Division.

To: Lord Raptorius, Field Commander of all Imperial forces.

Annabeth and Steel both knew, after reading this heading that the message they were looking at came from Mobius himself.

_Raptorius,_

_I have an addendum to your mission to the Labyrinth. Once Jackson has gotten you access, you are to terminate him. The indoctrination isn't fully taking effect, and further attempts may degrade his cognitive performance. His death warrant has been authorized by me – personally. Once the Labyrinth is open, he will have outlived his usefulness. _

_Add his body to the harvested mass when you're finished. _

_Cordially,_

_Mobius, Emperor of the Chalrus Empire, Supreme Commander of all Chalrus Imperial Forces. _

Annabeth was frozen for a moment, as she tried to process all she was reading. The same organization who had brought Percy back to life after killing him, had just added him to a termination list.

"Something doesn't add up." Steel said, looking at her. "According to our records, this 'Labyrinth' was destroyed when Daedalus died."

Annabeth pondered it for a moment, and then something struck her. The Chalrus had been bent on stealing Daedalus's laptop from her.

"The laptop! They must have a plan to reconstruct it or something…but why would…" She trailed off, as the realization struck her.

The Chalrus could use the Labyrinth to bypass all of Olympus's defenses, and march right in. The only reason they'd managed to get inside during the Coup was because of Ares. This would be like drilling a back-door.

"We have to get to the Labyrinth!" Annabeth exclaimed, clenching her fist. Steel nodded in response.

"We'd best hurry. If the main fleet is on its way, then this planet is in trouble."

Steel's statement couldn't have been more accurate. Even as the two set-off for the Labyrinth's entrance, far above them, the first ships of the Chalrus Imperial Navy began to arrive in Earth's orbit, joining with Mobius and Khyron's scouting force.

Mobius sat back in his chair, lighting up another cigarette, as the incoming ships began to join with the Ascension.

Pressing a holographic button on his chair, he opened up a link with Admiral Khyron, now in command of nearly fifty dreadnoughts.

"Admiral, on my command, your ships are to penetrate the atmospheric line. From there, you will begin an assault on the specified coordinates. The rest of the fleet will join in upon arrival."

Khyron bowed his head, pressing his fist to his chest in salute.

"It will be done, my lord. We will turn their cities to glass."

Suddenly, an alarm on the Ascension's bridge began to flare, and everyone – including Mobius, looked around for the source.

"Sir, we're picking up massive re-fold activity near the dark side of the Moon!" An operator cried out, bringing up an image to the Chalrus bridge crew.

The disturbance was from a relatively small scout flotilla, with the clear markings of an MN Expeditionary Force on their sides.

Mobius's eyes narrowed. He knew time was running out. It wouldn't be long before the rest of MN's fleet would arrive.

"Change in orders, Admiral." Mobius said, biting his lip lightly. "All ships – including mine, are to approach the Earth, and begin an assault on the specified area."

Khyron seemed stunned, but then he checked his own systems, and found the anomaly that had made his liege change his plans so quickly.

"Understood, my liege." He said, bowing his head again. "And of the main fleet?"

Mobius crossed his arms, taking a breath of his cigarette before speaking again.

"They will engage the humans from orbit, but their main objective will be to hold back the MN fleet until the weapon is in our possession."

Meanwhile, at the head of the MN flotilla hovering around the Moon, the fleet's commander – Lieutenant-Admiral Marcus Grissom, looked out at the Earth, his Officer's cap shielding his eyes from sight as he sat down.

"Send word to Moon Base One, lieutenant. We've arrived at Earth. Chalrus presence confirmed." He said, sitting back down.

The officers on the bridge took notice of the Chalrus ships slowly descending toward the Earth, their attack coordinates clearly locked.

"Those people down there won't stand a chance…" one of the muttered loudly.

"And that's why we're here, Corporal. Man your station." Grissom said, leaning his head on an arm, looking carefully at the situation before pulling down a communicator, sending a relay to all ships in the flotilla.

"All ships, this is Admiral Grissom. Attack Group One will move forward on my mark and engage the Chalrus forces in orbit. Attack Group Two will remain in stand-by positions for the arrival of the rest of the fleet. Let's wrap this war up, people."

Unbeknownst to all but the Chalrus aboard the seven inbound ships, their chosen target was not a coincidence. The site of first contact would be where Mobius stood to win or lose everything.

They were en route to New York, with enough fire-power to scorch the planet twice over…


	16. Salvation and Destruction

A/N: We're getting close to the end. Now comes the assault on Hephaestus's Forge and the march into the re-built Labyrinth.

The Chalrus assault on the Forgemaster's Mountain was swift and brutal.

Raptorius led four Legions into the hollow, and overwhelmed Hephaestus's defenders, driving them deeper into the Forge.

The defenders held out for a while, holding the higher ground. Long enough for some reinforcements from Olympus – led by Thalia, to arrive, to assist in holding the Forge.

This changed when Percy and his two Legions, fresh from decimating Olympus in the attempted coup, arrived en force, and flanked the defense position, surrounding them on nearly every side, save the path deeper into the Forge.

Thalia ducked her head, her fist glued to her bow, as she looked up, coughing somewhat as the smoke from the fires the Chalrus were starting filled her lungs.

She stood up, attempting to analyze the situation, her gaze narrowing in on Percy, who stood near the head of his men, directing some to march forward, and others to set fire to the forges, the weapons, the racks, everything they could not take.

"Defenders!" she cried out, raising her bow. "Concentrate on the Chalrus push!"

She then turned to the few other Hunters with her, each of them with a grim look on their faces.

"Hunters, I want you all to concentrate on taking Jackson down." She said, pointing to his figure in the distance, unaware of her zeroing in on him specifically.

"He's leading the flanking attempt on us. If we bring him down, we have a chance at pushing outward!" she exclaimed, her voice a mix of fear, hopeful optimism, and sorrow.

The other Hunters hesitated, if only for a moment, before raising their bows, and following their leader's suit.

Down far below them, the target of the Hunters arrows was moving, a mask shielding his face, but the light from the fires making his red visor glow slightly.

"Destroy it all." He commanded the men around him, looking over the Forges with disdain. He was then approached by another figure, similarly dressed to himself.

Percy turned, crossing his arms and looking Raptorius over more than once.

"Raptorius. My men are pushing the flank, as requested."

Raptorius simply nodded, remembering his instructions from Mobius.

"What exactly are we looking for inside Hephaestus's lair, Jackson?" Raptorius demanded.

"From the information stored on that fool engineer's laptop, it should be a panel of sorts on the wall that opens the link. We may have to tear off the roof to get everyone through, but it can be done."

Raptorius seemed to glare at him for a long while, remaining utterly silent. The only sound carrying across the air being the raging sound of battle, as the Legions slowly pressed at Hephaestus's defensive line.

Raptorius then paused for a moment to glance down at his wrist, as it beeped. He then looked to Percy, a slight bit of fear racing across his eyes for a brief second.

"We're running out of time." He said sternly. "They're here."

Far above Mount St. Helen's, the shuttle carrying Annabeth and Steel to Hephaestus's Forge, was getting close. They could tell how close they were getting, because of the wildfire that was burning through the area, and the massive plume of smoke billowing from St. Helen's top.

"Are they insane?" Annabeth exclaimed. "They're going to start another eruption!"

"And burn this entire continent along with it." Steel responded, looking down at the wave of firefighters far below them, working to control the blaze.

"Here's something I still don't understand. How could the Chalrus have possibly re-built the Labyrinth, with no access to where it was?" Annabeth asked Steel, a hint of suspicion in her voice.

To answer her question, Steel pressed a few buttons on his wrist, sighing deeply.

"This isn't a reconstructed Labyrinth, Annabeth. There was more than one." He said, showing her a diagram from a display from his wrist.

The monitor showed a map of the seven continents, but became intangible as it switched to display a massive series eight different tunnels going all over the world.

There was one set highlighted in red – the Labyrinth that Daedalus had destroyed. That set ran from California to New York City. This one ran from Mount St. Helen's all the way to Stonehenge in England, with multiple smaller junctions all along the way. One of which also led to New York.

As if anticipating the questions Annabeth was certain to ask, Steel shut off the display and sat back, looking out the window briefly to see how close they were to landing.

"They were built millennia ago by a race that once controlled nearly all the known galaxy. Their purpose was escape and defense against a race nearly as old, and unlike these builders…one that still exists."

Annabeth shook her head, but then, despite Steel's attempts, a flood of questions still struck her.

"Wait, so…if the Labyrinth was built by…then that means…"

"Olympus was constructed by them as well. As was Othrys. In fact, nearly every one of these 'mythological' buildings or relics you and your Gods control were built by them."

"But…why?" she pressed, crossing her arms and closing her eyes.

"We don't know." Steel answered, loading his rifle. "Scientists came to believe that the Earth was once integral to some kind of defense mechanism, but we've yet to discover what that mechanism is, or what it consists of, or even what it was defending against, though in that regard…we have our guesses."

Before Annabeth could say anything, the shuttle shook violently, and Steel gestured for her to grab ahold of one of the safety handles on the ceiling.

"Looks like the Chalrus have defenses set up!" he yelled, looking out the window, and pointing to the tracer fire lighting up in the setting sun's sky, the amount of fire suggesting heavy Chalrus defenses around the entrance to the Forge.

That was when the shuttle took another hit, and accelerated, Steel suddenly grabbing hold of Annabeth as tightly as he could, and jumping out, after forcing the side door open completely.

His judgment turned out to be accurate, as the shuttle quickly went spiraling down into the forest below.

"What are you doing?" she exclaimed, gripping onto his arm for dear life, as they were at least half a mile off the ground.

"Getting us there without dying!" he yelled back, activating a set of 're-entry' jets on the feet of his battle armor. The jets slowed them down considerably, and allowed Steel to control the direction of their descent, getting them right over where they needed to be.

When they slowed down, and began a more safe descent, Annabeth straightened her hair out, and glared at him, the move reminding her a little too much of something Percy would do.

"Don't ever do that again."

Steel smirked at her slightly, as they hit the ground, dusting himself off.

"Acknowledged." He laughed.

As luck would have it, they were within sight of the entrance to Hephaestus's Forge...which was, in keeping with Chalrus raiding tradition – a complete and utter mess.

The Chalrus had hung the 'Imperial War Standard' along both sides of the entrance, and there were bodies of Hephaestus's minions everywhere.

Nodding to each other, they stepped inside carefully, to discover two things. First, the defenses that had shot them down were automated, as detected by the wires and cables that had been hastily planted in the dirt of the mountain walls.

Second, the Chalrus were in a hurry, as they'd made no attempt to hold the areas they'd taken. Their goal clearly wasn't the Forge itself, but access to the Labyrinth entrance within.

Entering inside the cavern, they could hear the sounds of alien machines and heavy footsteps against rock and stone. Voices of every gender, tone, and inflection filled the air. When they finally reached what looked like a semi-concealed balcony…they discovered why.

They were above the entrance to the Labyrinth, they could tell by the obsidian shaded, slightly glowing door before them. It was massive, easily encompassing the width of a five lane highway.

And directly below them was an unabashed mass of Chalrus soldiers of every stripe. The pair could count dozens, hundreds of men below them, massive siege engines and offensive vehicles following in front and behind.

It was clear they'd arrived too late to stop them getting access, but when the convoy stopped at the door, the two noticed an unfolding drama near what looked like an access panel.

Hephaestus and another, more shrouded figure, were being dragged forward by a set of Chalrus Imperial Bodyguard units. Two figures stood in front of them, judging them.

One was instantly recognizable as Raptorius, and the other was clearly – at least to Annabeth's eyes, Percy.

Extending his wrist, Raptorius absorbed the God of Blacksmithing into an unseen mass of essences. Another God had been killed before their eyes. And that was when the next figure was brought forward, and Annabeth struggled not to recoil when she discovered it was Thalia.

"Go to Hades, Jackson! I'm not helping you do shit!" she raged, struggling against her captors.

Raptorius side-stepped Percy, and slapped her across the face, his expression an unmistakable scowl, as his hand wrapped around her neck, and he lifted her into the air.

"If you were not needed…I would tear your heart from your chest myself. Now…comply." He said, bashing her head against the rock, before forcing her to the panel before them.

Raptorius looked to Percy with the same angry glare, the hand holding his sword seeming to wretch.

"The time has come, Jackson. Do it."

Percy nodded, pressing his hand to a slot on the terminal, and Raptorius then forced Thalia to do the same in a different slot.

Then, finally…he did it himself. After a few moments, the ground began to shake, as the Labyrinth door opened.

Then, in competition for most brutal sight in Annabeth's life, (Steel's seen worse, again.) Raptorius took hold of Thalia's neck again, as the army began to advance into the Labyrinth.

Using his sword, he cut into her chest, his hand quickly replacing it, and after a few moments, he –literally- tore the heart from her chest, presenting it to her absolutely horrified face, as she went limp.

Tossing her disgustingly bloody body to the stone ground like garbage, he took a bite from her heart, before tossing it to the ground with her, and then looking to Percy.

"Before we continue further, Jackson. There is something you need to understand." Raptorius said to him, in a rather snide tone.

"And that would be?" Percy asked, seemingly unfazed by unabashed cruelty of his superior officer.

A cruel grin crossed Raptorius's lips, as he jammed his sword gently into Percy's gut, blood instantly torrenting from the wound.

"Your services are no longer required by his majesty. The Chalrus Empire thanks you for all your hard work." He chuckled coldly, as Percy clutched at his wound, falling to his knees in agony.

The 'gentle' stab, made something click in Percy's brain. The side of him that had been resisting Mobius's indoctrination, won out, as he felt his life bleeding from him, with every drop of blood hitting the ground.

Raptorius swung his sword over his shoulder, turning to walk away.

"What…what…have I…done?" Percy breathed, as he hit the ground, the realization of indoctrination striking him with the same force as his wound.

Annabeth couldn't take it anymore. She'd seen her best friend have the heart literally torn from her, and now Raptorius was killing the man she still so desperately loved. Again.

She rushed from their hiding spot before Steel could stop her, again her logical side being overtaken by emotion.

By now, most of the Chalrus army had gone through, but Raptorius was still there, and he saw her rush to Percy's side, and scowled as Steel followed, his gun drawn, and his gaze fixed on him directly.

"You two!" he snarled at a few stragglers, his tone convincing them to rush into the tunnel. "Keep moving! Inside, now!"

Tears of unrelenting fury running down her face, Annabeth drew her knife, and charged at where Raptorius was standing behind the tunnel, as the door began to slide closed.

Raptorius flashed her a victorious smirk, as the massive door slid closed before she could reach him, and exact her revenge.

She slammed her fist against the door for a moment, before rushing back over to Percy, who Steel was already attending to.

"He's been gut-stabbed. Thankfully it's early, he should be alright." Steel said plainly, pressing a dressing to Percy's abdomen to stop the bleeding.

Annabeth knelt down, looking him over with a mix of anger and deep concern in her eyes. He opened his eyes to look at her, and she discovered the most positive sign that the indoctrination had been broken.

Percy's eyes, which had been blood red since Mobius had him resurrected, were their original sea-green once again. He frowned at her, tears forming in his own eyes.

"Annabeth…I'm so sorry…I…" he began, his voice weak, but she silenced him by wrapping her arms around him, gently whispering in his ear.

"Percy…you don't need to say anything…you broke free…that's what matters." She muttered, wrapping him tightly around her as Steel tied off the bandage to soak up the blood.

However, on the other side of the country, things were not nearly so hopeful.

It was a fairly typical mid-afternoon for New York City. Traffic, as always, was insanely high, and the bustle of busy people filled the streets.

It was then that a sound filled the streets, one that would change humanity forever, and would begin a saga of violence and death that would last for nearly a decade.

The Ascension, along with the other six ships of the Chalrus Imperial Scout Flotilla de-folded over New York City, much to the unabashed horror of the people below.

On the Ascension's bridge, Mobius sat back, adjusting the lapels of his fanciest suit, and lighting up a cigarette as the bright New York City daytime skyline filled his viewing monitors.

"All ships, this is Lord Mobius. Begin bombardment at will!"

It only took seconds for six beams of molten plasma, one from each ship, hot enough to burn a hole through half of the Earth's crust, began to strike the concrete jungle. The war had begun…

…


	17. Positive Signal

A/N: Just a heads-up. Trying to kill Percy before having crossed the Labyrinth was a mistake, and in this chapter, you'll find out why.

As more ships from the MN Expeditionary Force began to arrive in Earth's orbit, the skies themselves seemed stuffed, as they were met with Chalrus Naval forces which were constantly streaming in, on Mobius's orders.

Admiral Grissom folded his arms, staring outward at the unfolding battle, as the Chalrus forces did all they could to hold back MN's vastly superior force.

For the Chalrus Imperial forces, they know they won't be able to hold more than a few hours, before MN overtakes them. So, they resolve, on Mobius's orders, to cause as much damage as possible.

"Ensign." He finally spoke to an officer standing at his side. "What is the status of the battle on the ground?"

The Ensign picked up a data pad, and started reading as the massive amounts of data flowed past the screen.

"Sir, at the current moment, the Chalrus are dropping soldiers all over the…Earth's continents. However, we detected several Chalrus ships in low-orbit near the surface, including Mobius's command ship."

"Did you say Mobius?" Grissom demanded, looking at his ensign sharply.

"Yes sir, we can confirm that he is leading the assault personally."

"Very well." Grissom dismissed with the same sharp tone. "Continue."

"We've begun deploying troops to the surface to counter them, they've been joining with human military forces, but the Chalrus are putting up a tough fight."

"This is their end-game." Grissom stated flatly. "They have nothing left to lose, and they fight just like it."

"We also noted the presence of a group called 'The Paladins' on the surface. We believe they're one of the vigilante law enforcement groups that formed in the Outer Rim during the First War."

Grissom nodded. Indeed, Steel was the leader of a semi-religious sect of vigilantes, who used what tech they had to keep order intact throughout both Martian and Independent Space when all the major authorities were busy combating the Neptunian Legions.

"They are aiding us, correct?"

"Yes sir. They've committed what forces they have to the epicenter of the fighting; in a place the humans call 'New York City.'"

The Ensign's words couldn't have been truer. As a battle in space raged, New York City, and indeed, all across the world, the Earth had turned into a battle-ground.

With Steel gone, Jen was in charge of the Paladin forces, and she dispatched them to as many places as she could manage, with MN forces providing additional support.

The Big Apple had turned into absolute chaos. People had been running scared from the moment Mobius's ships had defolded over the city, but now, even the streets were a battleground.

In Manhattan, the fighting was at its worst, as the Chalrus pressed to march on Olympus, with a mixture of Paladin, MN, and U.S. military forces standing in their way.

The heavy fighting was largely being carried out by the MN Shocktroopers and Vanguard Battalions, with the Paladins providing support for the flanks.

The U.S. Military was largely concerned with evacuating the civilian populace of the city, most of which were caught in a deadly crossfire.

The Chalrus, on the other hand, were killing anyone and everyone in their way, combatant or not. They'd seized control of Lower Manhattan, and had elements of their Legions marching on Grand Central Station, which was a designated 'High Priority' evacuation center.

Aboard his dreadnaught, Mobius sat back in his seat, lighting up another cigarette as he watched New York City burn around him, as his ship continued to join in the mass bombing.

He took a breath from his cigarette as one of the holographic terminals near his arm began to beep, and he gently pressed it, to be presented with a blue image of Raptorius, his double-swords in hand.

"Master, we have entered the Labyrinth. However…"

"Yes?" Mobius asked, his voice slightly snarling.

"There has been damage to the system. We cannot enter Olympus directly."

Mobius took a deep breath, before exhaling some lingering smoke from his lungs. This was not unexpected. The Labyrinth system WAS over fifty millennia old, to be fair.

"How close can you get?" he demanded.

"A passage leads to a place the humans call 'Penn Station.' We may have to dig somewhat, but we can breach from there."

Mobius scowled slightly, pulling up a holographic map of New York City from his chair, and looking it over. Penn Station was just up the street from Olympus's façade – the Empire State Building.

"Very well. However, you should know that the humans are using this…Penn Station to evacuate civilians. You may encounter resistance."

"Rules of engagement, Master?" Raptorius asked, twirling his left blade slightly before sheathing it.

"No survivors." Mobius said plainly, lighting up another cigarette.

"Understood." Raptorius said, bowing his head, before cutting the transmission.

Far off from them, a shuttle carrying Percy, Annabeth, and Steel was flying into the city.

"By the Gods…" Annabeth muttered as she looked out the window.

It was late into the night, and New York City seemed to be on fire. Burning buildings, explosions, the sound and sight of anti-aircraft and tracer fire, along with the occasional massive plasma blast from one of the Chalrus Battle-Cruisers hanging over the city, lit up the night sky bright as day.

"It's…it's all burning…all of it." Percy said, completely stunned. For as long as he could remember, New York City had been his home, and now it was burning to cinders, engulfed in raging battle.

Steel approached the two, silently pointing to the night sky. Because they were somewhat away from the light pollution of the fires, hovering over the Hudson, they could see explosions in the air, the occasional loud 'boom', sounding a bit like thunder sometimes filled the air.

"What's going on up there?" Annabeth asked, looking up at it.

"Mobius is playing his end-game. He's brought in the entire fleet to destroy the Earth…and that caught MN's attention. They sent in a second fleet to stop the Chalrus. Hence the combat." Percy explained without missing a beat, as if the information had been singed into his skull.

Steel laughed, crossing his arms, and for the first time since she'd met him, Annabeth could swear he had an optimistic look on his face.

"MN? Hah. They're the galaxy's super-powers. The Chalrus don't stand a chance."

Before any of them could say anything more, the shuttle rocked hard, and they realized they were coming under fire from the Paladin base in Camp Half-Blood's ruins.

"Base, this is Steel! Incoming shuttle is friendly! Hold your fire!"

"Steel, this is base." A familiar female voice answered. "It's a relief to hear your voice, Julius. Everything's gone to hell in the last six hours."

Steel chuckled darkly, his hand still pressed to his ear, looking at the two for a moment.

"I can see that. What's the current situation?"

There was a long pause, before Jen spoke again, her voice sounding tired and stressed beyond all reason.

"Six hours ago, Mobius's Capital Ship, and five other Battle-Cruisers de-folded over the city. They were followed with massive troop deployments from orbit. MN arrived en force about three hours ago, but they don't have enough men on the ground yet to turn the tide."

"Where are the Chalrus pressing?" Steel demanded.

"They've got a massive force hitting Grand Central Station, which drew a lot of MN's attention. The Americans even had to move their main evac center to Times Square."

"Anywhere else?"

"It looks like they have another front pushing for the Brooklyn Bridge. A contingent of our 7th Regiment, the Neptunian 9th Legion, and the American 101st Airborne are holding them back…for now."

Steel nodded his head, joining Percy and Annabeth in looking outside at the burning skyline, the sounds and echoes of battle becoming more and more prominent the closer they got to the ground.

"Understood. We're coming in for a landing. I'll brief everyone on our plan when we get there."

It was at that point that Annabeth could hold back her morbid curiosity no longer.

"Ask her what the Gods are doing about this whole situation." She told Steel.

Steel nodded his head, pressing his fingers to his ear again.

"Any word on what Olympus is planning on doing?"

Jen was silent for the longest time, and when she finally spoke, there was a tone of frustration in her voice.

"I talked to Zeus. He and the remaining Olympians are refusing to evacuate. I told them about Raptorius's army moving through the Labyrinth, but they don't care. They said they'll hold to the last, but who knows how long that will be."

Steel shook his head, looking to the two of them, a brief smile crossing his face.

"Well, looks like our job just got much harder." He commented, setting himself back against one of the shuttle's seats as it prepared to descend.

Annabeth looked over to Percy, who'd been silent the entire time. She took notice that his jet-black hair was paler than normal, and his eyes, though restored to their former sea-green, were still weak in color. He had a hand pressed to the glass for a brief moment, the other one firmly behind his back.

"This is my fault." He whispered to her when she approached him. "I was born in this city, and now because of me, it's going to burn to the ground."

Annabeth placed a hand on his shoulder, looking straight at him, her grey eyes fierce with determination to stop the Chalrus onslaught.

"Don't talk like that. You were a victim too. You couldn't control that they brought you back from the dead and indoctrinated you."

"The damage is no less mine to bear." He said grimly, looking at his empty palm for a moment. "I killed my own father. Zeus only knows where my mother is, and now, because of me, that bastard Raptorius is marching to seize control of Olympus."

Before he could continue further, Annabeth kissed him lightly, wrapping an arm around him.

"We'll stop him. You aren't to blame for what others told you to do, but we'll set it right."

Percy smiled, kissing her back, crossing his arms, and continuing to keep up his gaze outside the window at the blazing skyline.

"You're right, as always. But…"

Annabeth looked at him quizzically, before turning her head to look at him again.

"What is it?" she asked, her voice tempered with concern.

"If what I'm remembering from my time on board Mobius's Capital Ship is right…the Chalrus are the least of our worries."

Percy's words were true. The raging battle had not gone unnoticed by others in the galaxy, and even as their shuttle prepared to land in the ruins of Camp Half-Blood, the dreaded Invid Sensor Nebula was relaying information back to the Hive Relay, far off in unknown space.

It was there that the parasites known as the Invid dwelled. And now…with a positive signal from the Sensor Nebula, the Invid prepare for the journey to their supposed 'promised land'…and spell doom for humanity as a species. Life itself will feed their hunger…when the harvest begins…

…


	18. No Turning Back

A/N: We're getting close to the end. Can't say exactly how many chapters this will turn out to be, but one way or the other, I will finish this thing.

Admiral Grissom and eight other men sat on the bridge of his command ship – _'Wings of Deliverance'_, looking at a holographic representation of Earth, their own forces marked in blue, and the Chalrus forces in red.

"Sir, our forces are slowly overtaking the Chalrus armada in orbit, but we're getting scattered reports of their forces sending Capital Ships and Dreadnaughts into Earth's atmosphere to conduct bombing runs."

Grissom himself was bent over the table, peering at the map decidedly, every fleet action reminding him of similar circumstances years ago.

"Sir, we're receiving word from our forces on the ground. They're linking up with the renegades and the human forces where they can, but there aren't enough of them down there yet to tide the Chalrus assault."

Grissom absently nodded his head, raising an eyebrow for a moment before standing straight, crossing his arms and closing his eyes.

"How soon can we get the bulk of our marines to the surface, lieutenant?" He asked, taking a deep, sharp breath as he did so, his eyes re-opening slowly.

"Sir, our vanguard forces are working on clearing the skies enough for our main offensive to land."

Grissom nodded his head, looking away from the table to let his officers converse, while he simply watched the unfolding battle from one of the observation windows.

Meanwhile, down below, inside Penn Station, the subway had devolved into a massacre. Raptorius and his men were casually walking through the tunnels, shooting anything that moved.

Raptorius carried an arrogant grin on his face, as he strode through the piles of the dead civilians that had fled there for evacuation.

The rest of his army, however, was tunneling through the streets, literally rising from the ground near the station, and overwhelming the few Army units left in the area.

Pressing his finger to his ear as he shot dead a woman leaned up against a stack of crates, already bleeding to death, he spoke to his master.

"Yes sir, we just cleared the Labyrinth. We're moving to Olympus now."

While Raptorius and his men took to the streets of New York City, not all that far away from them, at the 'Forward Operations Post' set up near the Brooklyn Bridge, a contingent of MN and U.S. soldiers were joined by Percy, Annabeth, and Steel, along with a small company of Paladin forces.

Steel stood next to one of the MN soldiers, who then turned to throw Percy and Annabeth more substantial weapons. Steel smirked, as he checked his own.

"Your celestial bronze swords won't get you anywhere but dead here." He laughed, looking out over the bridge with them.

The skyline glowed in the night with the flames, anti-aircraft and tracer fire lit up the distant sky every few seconds or so, and even just across the bridge, they could see the Chalrus taking positions in the streets.

The MN Captain loaded his gun, and turned to face all of them.

"Alright everyone, listen up! We've gotta push across this bridge! Once we're across, we'll wheel up behind em' and hit their flank!"

The ground beneath their feet rumbled violently shortly after the Captain was done speaking.

"What is that?" Annabeth yelled to Percy, as she struggled to stay on her feet.

"Look!" Percy yelled, pointing to one of the Chalrus Dreadnaughts hovering over the city. Its main gun was lit bright red, and it quickly began to shoot out a line of what looked like solid-plasma, commencing with its glassing run of the city.

"We're running out of time!" Steel yelled, beckoning the two over to him.

"We're sticking with the company for the moment, once we push across the bridge, we'll be a stone's throw from the Empire State Building." He told the two, loading his rifle, and hoisting it over his back as he turned around.

After a few more agonizing moments, the MN Captain, along with several others, blew whistles loudly into the air, signaling that it was time to move.

Percy and Annabeth jumped over a stack of crates together, their rifles in hand, taking care to stay within sight of each other.

In front of them, the Chalrus forces were preparing to charge, their vanguard consisting of a massive line of men carrying black squares, which, with more light, could be recognized at shields, with lines of riflemen and snipers behind the armored line that moved forward like a Testudo.

The clash was instant and brutal. The sound of gunfire rushed through the air, and the smell of sulfur and smoke held thick over the bridge.

Percy ducked behind an abandoned car, its owners clearly having fled in a hurry, as evidenced by the doors left hanging open, and the keys still in the ignition.

Hardly peeking up from where he was, he dared to fire a few shots blind from the car, before finally pulling himself up, once his eyes had adjusted to the near-darkness, save the fires burning on both sides of the riverbanks.

Annabeth, in turn, was moving up the other side to support him, clutching her rifle close to her chest, firing only at what she could distinguish against the black atmosphere of the bridge.

The two finally met behind the same car, as the MN and U.S. forces slowly advanced forward around them, using armored vehicles as vanguards, and mobile cover.

The pair managed to look above them long enough to see Chalrus mortars beginning to rain down over the bridge.

Percy's eyes narrowed as the shells fired into the air, and began raining down molten fire and brimstone down over the MN/U.S. lines.

He looked over to Annabeth, a look of desperation on his face, as he closed the distance between them.

"Move!" she heard him scream, before he tackled into her, and sent them both falling off the bridge and into the Hudson.

Everything quickly went black for the two Half-Bloods after that, the only sounds they could hear before slipping into unconsciousness, were the screams of dying soldiers, and the raging torrent of fire, brimstone, and sulfur let loose over the bridge…


	19. Calling All Units

A/N: _Just a note to anyone who submits an anonymous review and asks me a question. I can't actually answer you if you don't have an account. _

_By the way, as we're reaching the critical phase of the story, every chapter from here on will have a time and location stamp at the beginning. _

Date: Thursday, November 29th, 2012.

Time: 21:04 (9:04 PM EST). Ten hours since initial Chalrus assault.

Location: Manhattan Financial District – the New York Stock Exchange, Chalrus-Occupied city center.

A cold wind blew through the silent streets of the Manhattan financial district. Once at the heart of the world's trading community, the streets were entirely dark, as were the buildings around them.

This had not been so until nearly four hours earlier, when a Chalrus glassing run knocked out the electrical services to most of Manhattan, and all of Midtown.

Now, the only light to cloak the desolate, messy, and abandoned streets came from the fires raging throughout the city.

The only sound to fill the hallways that once echoed with loud voices and the hum of computers, was the sound of distant gunfire, and the thunder of anti-aircraft fire far away.

It was here, that a half-conscious Percy, cloaked in torn and tattered Chalrus battle-armor, dragged the still unconscious Annabeth for safety, taking shelter from the occasional Chalrus gunship to make a sweep of the streets, searching for any life that might have been left behind.

Hoisting her over his shoulder for the climb up the Stock Exchange's steps, he quickly took refuge inside the darkened lobby of the building, and gently laid Annabeth down on the stained and rubble-strewn marble.

While he waited for her to awaken, he took a moment to look over himself. The dive in the Hudson hadn't been kind to him either, as evidenced by the multitude of scratches and cuts he had in the open parts of his armor, and the still-healing gash from Raptorius's sword.

He was torn from his self-examination by the sound of a loud hum from the outside. Rushing to a shattered window, he took care to keep his silhouette from sight of the window itself.

A Chalrus gunship was flying low over the darkened streets, its jet engines, though slowed to a light hum, still kicked up trash and debris left behind in the wake of panicked civilians.

It activated a blindingly bright search-light, and began looking over the area, for only a brief moment, ensuring that no one was left alive in the area.

When at last, the gunship had passed, Percy returned his attention to Annabeth, who was just beginning to stir, her hair a mess, tangled by her side, or hanging from her head, faint traces of water leaving it damp.

"Ugh…" she moaned, her eyes shifting open, and her head slowly moving around to adjust to her surroundings. "Percy?" she called out.

Percy approached her, enough light coming from outside to clearly prove it was him.

"Shh! Keep your voice down." He whispered, looking around nervously. "We're in the Chalrus-Occupied part of the city."

"Ugh…my head." She whispered, placing a hand over her head as she pulled herself up. "What happened on the bridge?"

Percy sighed, dusting himself down again, looking around again, far more sure that the Chalrus weren't around to have heard them.

"We were advancing, but the Chalrus started firing off their flaming mortars…I kinda…pushed us over the side to keep us from being hit." He admitted, a lopsided grin crossing his lips.

A faint smirk played on Annabeth's face, as she casually punched his arm.

"Still the same Seaweed Brain…but it was at least the right call." She whispered, the smirk still on her lips for a few more seconds.

"So, where are we exactly?" she inquired, looking around, trying to get a bearing on where they were.

"I regained consciousness first, and brought us to…what's left of the Stock Exchange. I figured it would have already been hit by the Chalrus by now…safe enough place to hide and regroup."

"Well, we're both up now. We need to get to Olympus."

"If my idea of how things are going right now is half-good, I'm sure Raptorius is knocking on the doors to the Pantheon right now." Percy spat out, not even wanting to mention Raptorius's name.

"Not quite…but close enough, as is." A familiar voice uttered quietly from the darkness around them. The two immediately tensed up, until they recognized the silvery glint of the man's armor, and recognized that it was Steel almost immediately.

"You two are easier to find than you think. Fortunately, the majority of the Chalrus Army isn't as smart as I am." Steel smirked, stepping into the room, brandishing his combat knife.

The pair could only roll their eyes and smirk, for once, together, if only briefly.

"Good to see you here too, Steel. I'm guessing things didn't go well at the bridge?" Annabeth piped up.

"Go well?" Steel laughed. "It was a massacre…for the Chalrus, at least. MN reinforcements began dropping in from their gunships, though the mortars certainly didn't help things."

"So, that means they're pushing into the Chalrus-controlled part of the city, right?" Percy asked, not completely aware of the tactical situation.

"Yeah…but they won't get anywhere near Olympus in time to save it from Raptorius. That falls to us." He smirked, waving for them to follow him.

"We've gotta keep as low a profile here as possible. The Chalrus struck around here first, given the population density, they chased the civilians out pretty quick…but they've had it under lockdown ever since. Too close to Olympus."

While the three made their plans for moving forward to Olympus, past Raptorius's encroaching army, aboard the Ascension, an entirely different atmosphere was being maintained.

Mobius stood in a massive throne room, his back facing away from the door, having changed his attire to a brown Armani-style suit, a white under-shirt, black gloves, and expensive looking shoes. Brandishing a pistol behind his back, he turned around to look at the view before him.

Two complete lines of Chalrus soldiers stood before him. However, these were not ordinary Imperial units. These men wore the black body armor, but theirs was striped with gold, and instead of carrying rifles, each of them bore a ceremonial bronze-tipped spear.

They were the 'Household Bodyguard', or known officially to both the Empire, and the galaxy at large as the Chalrus Imperial Guard – the very finest of the Imperial Armed Forces, with the sole task of defending the Emperor and his family.

As Mobius stepped down a staircase lined with red carpeting, his hands still behind his back, each of the Guard snapped into an attentive salute without missing a beat.

When he reached the end of the line, he punched up his wrist communicator, and opened a link to Raptorius.

"My lord." Raptorius greeted, bowing his head in respect. "We are marching on the 'Empire State Building' as I speak. The gates of Olympus will be wrenched open before the sun rises again."

Mobius smiled evilly, everything was falling into place. He nodded at his second-in-command.

"When you have breached the gates, I will be leaving the Ascension with the Guard to join you. I wish to confront Zeus myself. Therefore, you will not engage the Gods directly until I arrive, is that understood?"

"It is understood and shall be as you wish." Raptorius responded, bowing once more, before the communication was terminated.

Mobius's evil grin never left his face, as he narrowed his eyes, and turned toward the Guard, his face returning to a stoic neutrality.

"Soldiers of the Imperial Guard, Guardians of the Eternal Household, today heralds the most important day of our age! Olympus will fall to our righteous fury…and then, we will exact vengeance upon all the races of the galaxy for the destruction of our homeworld!"

"Hail to Malachor!" All of the Guard chanted at once, the fervor they possessed for defending the homeworld was famous for being almost religious in its own way.

As his Guard cheered, Mobius turned away again, an evil grin crossing his face, as he spoke, almost telepathically, to the Gods of Olympus.

"This is your final day, Lord Zeus. You will understand the price that comes with defying the will of the Chalrus Empire."

Down far below them, as Mobius prepared to depart for Olympus, Percy, Annabeth, and Steel were getting close to its gates, as the Empire State building was within their sight.

They noticed the many defense positions and guard posts the Chalrus had placed around the area were deserted, along with seemingly endless numbers of aircraft and gunships that, not even an hour before, had been patrolling the skies around the Empire State Building religiously.

"Raptorius must've recalled all of them for the final assault." Steel said, looking out at it, and giving them the all-clear to move.

"That's good for us." Percy commented as they reached the entrance to the lobby. Annabeth found the comment to be both obvious and stupid, but before she could call him on it, a familiar voice met the ears of the three of them.

"Going somewhere?" Raptorius demanded, a smirk on his lips, and his dual blades in hand, glaring them down with an unholy glint in his eyes. He craved blood. Their blood. One way or another, both sides knew this would be the last encounter with each other.

This time, there would be no escape. The only resolution would come in blood…


	20. A Final Sacrifice

A/N: _Moving forward. _

Date: November 29th, 2012.

Time: 23:01 (11:03 EST)

Location: The Empire State Building, Chalrus-Occupied City center.

Percy, Annabeth, and Steel all turned at once, as the sound of rain began to echo in the still-wide door to the Empire State Building's lobby.

Indeed, while battle still raged all across the city, and the fires continued to burn bright, a sprinkle of rain that had quickly morphed into a downpour, covering the abandoned streets in water.

Raptorius stood in the midst of this pour, his blades glimmering in the faint light around them, his suit shining slightly with the addition of moisture. His night-black hair seemingly-intact, though hanging at odd ends, as the rain drenched it as well.

Through all of this, the Chalrus Imperial Insignia still glowed in bright red on the chest of his suit.

"My men are already marching on the Pantheon now. You will not reach them in time…I will make sure of it." He said scathingly, twirling one of his blades as he spoke.

Percy and Annabeth drew their side arms, and Steel drew a blade of his own.

"The madness ends here, Raptorius." Steel spat out, his eyes narrowing at the man before them.

"This day will be your last." Raptorius said calmly, twirling his blades again, before immediately diving on them like a hawk.

The three of them immediately began firing, but Raptorius was easily able to deflect their shots, moving as a blur, he popped up behind Steel's back.

An evil grin crossing his lips, Raptorius jammed his blades through Steel's torso, his blood pouring out, in a manner that reminded Annabeth a little too much of when Raptorius had stabbed Percy.

However, Steel didn't seem nearly as affected. His fists clenched, and his face hardened. His left arm moved in a flash, retrieving a combat knife from his boot, kicking up a fair amount of dust and dirt as he did so.

"I'm ready!" they heard him scream, as he turned himself around, while still being impaled on Raptorius's blades.

Percy and Annabeth, horrified, continued to fire, their bullets seeming to bounce right off his armor.

"How about you?!" Steel screamed, brandishing the knife in his trembling hand, and jamming it into Raptorius's unshielded jaw.

Once the blade was forced into his jaw, he used every last bit of strength in his body, as his blood continued to drip onto the floor, and ran the blade along the length of Raptorius's neck, the wound tapering off and running not nearly as deep at the end.

In one swift motion, Steel summoned the very last of his strength to force the blade through both of Raptorius's double blades, shattering them, along with his own.

"Steel!" Annabeth cried out, rushing over to him, Percy guarding her flank, as Raptorius, his every breath a scowl – forced him from his blades, letting his body fall to the floor.

Raptorius stood before them, his breathing extremely heavy, looking down at the hilts of the blades he'd held. His face was warped with rage beyond imaging.

"It will not be that easy, Julius." He scowled, a hand around his neck, the dark black of his finger-guards slowly being stained with blood.

Dropping a smoke grenade, Raptorius ran, disappearing from sight the moment the grenade dropped.

However, neither Percy, nor Annabeth, was paying him any attention. They rushed over to where Steel lay, his blood pooling around him, as they flipped him over.

"Annabeth." He smiled when he saw her face, looking around behind them.

Percy had decided it'd be best to let Annabeth speak to him, while he guarded their flank, so he knelt down, his back to both of them, and his gun raised.

Steel tried to speak to her, but was interrupted by a heavy coughing bout, drawing blood which spilled onto his chin like water, a hand pressed to his wounds.

"I guess I won't be finishing this with you after all." He nearly laughed, keeping his hands pressed to his wounds.

"Steel…" she breathed, the level of death around her briefly overwhelming her. She'd lost so many people, and while she wasn't exactly close to Steel, he'd been like a guide, and he'd lead her to getting her Percy back from Mobius's clutches.

Before either of them could speak again, they were interrupted by a crackle from their ear-set radios.

"Julius, this is Jen! Are you there?"

Annabeth bowed her head; a tear falling from her eyes as she pressed her finger to her ear, only to be stopped by Steel's weakening hand.

"I'll do it…" He breathed, letting go of her wrist, and pressing his finger to his ear.

"Jen…it's me." He was interrupted by more coughing. "We chased Raptorius off…but I'm not gonna make it."

There was a long pause, and for a moment, both Percy and Annabeth could swear Jen was crying on the other end.

"Julius, you…" she trailed off, tears definitely obstructing her. He cut her off.

"I don't want to hear it." He told her, his voice firm, but not harsh. "Listen…I'm sure Raptorius isn't done…where are you?" he asked, feeling pain shoot through his ribs as he tried to sit up, the loss of blood affecting his vision.

"I've got a gunship, I'm inbound to Olympus, but I've taken some heavy damage from Chalrus patrols over the Hudson." She told him, doing her best to regain and hold on to some level of composure and rational thought.

Steel coughed blood audibly over the radio link, and Annabeth closed her eyes as she could hear Jen audibly stifle a sob.

"I'm on my way…I'll make sure they get to Olympus safely." She told him, her voice a whisper.

A faint smile crossed Steel's lips, as he looked at the hand that had been covering his wound, to find it absolutely covered in his blood.

"Thanks, Jen…I love you. Bring Mobius down for me…" he breathed, his chest hitching, as his body was clearly about to fail.

"I love you too, Julius…I'll…I'll make him pay…I promise you." She told him, her tone a mix of rage, sadness, and unshakable duty.

"I expect nothing less from my best…" He trailed off, shutting off the communicator, before looking at Percy and Annabeth.

"You're on your own now, my friends…Steel out." He breathed, and his head went limp, and his eyes rolled into his head, his blood continuing to pool around him.

"That's it then…"Annabeth whispered to Percy, wiping a few solitary tears from her eyes. "He's gone."

"I'm sorry, Annabeth…I know how much of a help he was." Percy told her, his tone somewhat soothing, as he placed a hand on her shoulder, and offered her a weary smile.

Suddenly, the two were blinded by a search-light that had been turned on above them like a light-switch.

When their sight had recovered enough, the effect being a bit like having been hit with a flashbang grenade, the two could make it out as a Chalrus Assault Gunship.

A speaker crackled to life, and the two immediately recognized the voice as that of Raptorius.

"Seems the old man could not save you. You've come far, I'll admit. And your resilience is…impressive. However, this little game ends here. You will NOT interfere with the master!"

The gunship's machine guns activated seconds later, sending the two scrambling for cover, each bullet striking the sidewalk, and tearing into the Empire State Building's lobby.

"You cannot hide forever!" Raptorius snarled, stepping up the amount of fire against the building. Shattered shards of glass and broken pieces of concrete and plaster fell to the ground in equal measure with the spent bullet casings.

Suddenly, Percy and Annabeth's radios crackled to life again.

"Percy, Annabeth, its Jen! I see our friend has you pinned!" she exclaimed, the two of them seeing her fighter come into view as a streak of smoke and flame.

"Jen, you can't take that thing on!" Percy exclaimed, pressing his fingers to his ear. "You don't have the guns on that thing, and you've been hit pretty badly!"

"You're wrong, Jackson." She responded calmly, her fighter disappearing from their view. "I've got one weapon left."

It took a moment for Percy, and less than a few seconds for Annabeth, but they both realized what she was talking about.

"A half-dead fighter will not spare you my wrath!" Raptorius screamed from his Gunship, continuing to pour round after round into the building. With each passing second, the threat of the building's lower floors collapsing on top of them became more and more real.

His voice had changed. There was no pretense of calm. No serenity and collection of a highly-skilled assassin, only the bloodthirsty lust of a madman.

"Understood…" Percy breathed, watching as Jen's fighter slowly came back into view.

"Give him hell, Jen…" Annabeth whispered, her eyes fixed on both Raptorius's gunship, and Jen's fighter hurdling toward it.

"Julius wanted this stopped…so do I. Make us proud, both of you…" she said, before closing the communication line…for the last time.

Seconds later, Jen's fighter slammed into the side of Raptorius's gunship, and the seemingly endless roar of fire, along with the blinding search light were all halted, as the Gunship momentarily spiraled out of control, only to explode in mid-air, right above the street.

It shattered what few windows were still intact, and knocking the both of them onto their backs, as the twisted, smoldering wreckage of Raptorius's gunship skid across the street, stopping nearly a block away, leaving a trail of fire, smoke, and wreckage behind it.

The two waited a few moments to pull themselves up, taking a moment to let everything that had just happened sink in.

Steel was dead, and they both seemed to glance over at his still body, the blood no longer flowing from his wounds, and instead a large pool on the dirty floor.

Jen had died as well, her body likely having been obliterated the second the explosion happened.

But, the one shred of hope, of good news to be found from this otherwise-tragic event – Raptorius was dead.

He'd given it his all to bring them down, and he'd paid for it. Annabeth and Percy both felt a surge of relief, and a feeling of payback.

Annabeth closed her eyes, and imagined the faces of Sally, Paul, and Nico, all having been avenged by Jen's final act.

"It's not over yet…" Percy breathed, pulling himself up, and extending a hand to her.

"You're right…Mobius is on Olympus right now, and he needs to be stopped." She said in solemn agreement.

Then, the ground beneath them began to shake, and the Empire State Building began to slowly, but visibly collapse, forcing the two to run into the street.

"Move!" one of them called out, as the building came down.

An unprecedented amount of smoke billowed from where the Empire State Building used to be, when it was all over, pieces of the monolith having rained down everywhere. Crushing cars, buildings, and entire blocks.

However, it was only when the smoke slowly began to thin and lift, that the two discovered what had brought the building down.

"By the Gods…" the two of them breathed in unison, as the situation became abundantly clear to them.

They could see Olympus itself, high above them, but clearly visible, a beam of light connecting the ground to the entry point, and before confusion could set in, the two of them looked to their celestial bronze swords.

No longer were they disguised as simple objects, and no longer could they change into them. There could be only one answer.

"The Mist…it's fading!" Percy exclaimed.

"Then we're out of time! Let's move!" Annabeth yelled, taking hold of his hand, and making a dash for the beam, the only way now onto Olympus.

The clock was ticking, time was running out. With the Mist gone, the plan was nearly complete, and Mobius's victory all-but-assured…


	21. The Fall of Humanity

A/N: _Hey all. This may well be the last chapter in the story, but be assured; the very last one will be an epilogue. _

Date: November 30th, 2012.

Time: 00:03 (12:03 AM EST)

Location: New York City – Lower Manhattan, near the un-shrouded Olympus.

"Sword of Fire, this is Echo squadron. I've got a line of sight targeting on a Chalrus Capital Ship. Name: Ascension, near the newly risen landmass, over."

Indeed, high above the burning city, as the fires below threatened to consume district after district, an MN fighter squadron had a line of fire on Mobius's command ship, which was moving to support the Chalrus forces marching on Olympus.

"Roger that, Echo Squadron. This is the corvette 'Mercury.' Clear out of the area immediately, orbital defense is standing by to take the shot."

True to their word, a few moments later, a bright blue flash of light shot down from above, like a bolt of Zeus's lighting. The shot tore through the ship, splitting in two, and causing a massive explosion which tore through the city's streets, almost immediately killing hundreds of soldiers on all sides.

"Mercury, this is Echo Squadron. Confirmed…target destroyed."

In orbit, high above the streets, the space around the Earth was becoming closer and closer to looking like a floating junkyard, as MN's superior numbers began to tear into the Chalrus armada.

With contact with Mobius severed, individual ship commanders were taking matters into their own hands, largely concerned with destroying as much as they could.

However, despite this, the new High-Admiral of the Chalrus Imperial Navy – Grand Admiral Khyron, worked tirelessly to re-organize what was left of the Chalrus fleet.

Aboard his command ship, Admiral Grissom – Khyron's counterpart, simply watched the waning battle, his arms folded behind his back, as his bridge was alight with activity.

"Sir, we're detecting a large super-structure that…just appeared on our screens. It's towering above New York City."

"Have the Chalrus made any move against it?" Grissom asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes sir, at least a battalion is confirmed to be there…the radio chatter we're picking up from the ground suggests that the Emperor may be there as well."

"Mobius, hm?" Grissom pondered, running two fingers along the stubble on his chin. "Order the 9th Legion forces that are en-route to the surface to clean house up there. Take the Emperor alive if possible. High Command has some questions for him."

While MN re-arranged its men, and Khyron worked desperately to cover his master, Percy and Annabeth were crossing the link between Olympus and the mortal world. A link that was rapidly fading.

"Look at this mess." Annabeth said, her voice depressingly low, as she noted that the devastation she'd seen from Ares's coup attempt had only gotten worse with the arrival of Mobius's army.

"We'll stop them…though I'm not helping clean up." Percy smirked a bit, kicking a stray piece of rock off of a pathway.

"If you think I'm doing this alone, you really must be indoctrinated, Seaweed Brain." She smirked back, offering him a weary, but sincere smile.

The two were interrupted by the sound of an engine tearing through the air, when they noticed a shuttle with MN markings on it making a strafing run near the Acropolis.

"Guess MN must've noticed Olympus too." Percy said, his voice almost bitter.

"Or Mobius made a show of his presence, and got their attention." Annabeth remarked, watching the shuttle's occupants lay down a dedicated spread of gunfire in their distance. The Chalrus had likely set up sniping positions near there.

"With any luck, MN will keep Mobius's lackeys busy. He's here…I can feel it."

"Then we don't have any time to waste. Let's finish this." Annabeth nodded, eager to spill Mobius's blood. He would pay for all that he'd done, for all the lives he'd ordered be ended.

As the two made their way to the Pantheon, its front door was already being kicked in by a vanguard of Imperial Bodyguards, which were struck down the moment the Gods could see them.

It was the presence that followed them that angered the Gods the most. Mobius's smirking form entered the room, brandishing a pistol, his glowing red eyes alight with delight.

"Good afternoon, Lord Zeus and company. Or, perhaps 'good morning' would be more appropriate." Mobius smirked, looking them over.

"And so the puppet master reveals himself at last." Zeus snarled out, nodding his head to the other Gods to ready their weapons.

"Yes…please don't think I've been avoiding you. Many, many matters have demanded my attention, you see."

"Like turning the mortal world into a battleground?" Athena demanded, her face stoically neutral, but her fists visibly clenched.

"All of this could have been avoided had Zeus simply cooperated in the first place. But now, our time runs short."

And it was then, as if on cue, that Percy and Annabeth entered the room, Annabeth kicking one of the dead Imperial Bodyguards out of the way.

"Mobius." She spat out, both she and Percy had their weapons trained on the dictator's still-smirking form, as he turned around to notice them both enter.

For being a desperate man, leading a desperate people on the verge of extinction, on a final crusade, Mobius looked surprisingly well-made up, Annabeth noticed.

He wore a dark brown, almost Armani-style suit, with a white undershirt visible from the wrists and chest. His knuckles glimmered with shiny, expensive looking rings. His pants matched his suit, and one of the legs had a holster for his pistol strapped to it, and his black shoes glimmered in the light.

Were circumstances different, Annabeth might have considered him attractive, but her hate and vitriol for him was far too high to permit that.

"Well, well…isn't this one big, family reunion?" He smirked, his eyes fixing on Percy.

"Perseus, I'm surprised at you. After all I showed you, when you were finally given the chance to think for yourself, you still chose the wrong side."

"You mean when you tried to have me killed?" Percy retorted, rage cropping his voice. "Oh wait…you DID have me killed! Then you brought me back, tried to turn me against my family and friends, and now you're acting disappointed when I choose to fight you?"

"All of it was necessary, Jackson. If you can't see that by now, then you are as thick-headed as our files suggest. But, it doesn't matter now."

"I would argue much, MUCH differently, Mobius." Annabeth growled, raising her gun, and fixing her eyes on him. "Twitch one muscle, and I WILL kill you, do you understand?"

Mobius laughed, lowering his gun, and grinning evilly at the two of them, his arm lighting up.

"There isn't any time for this, you bothersome children. At any rate, I'm impressed at your boldness, if nothing else. After all. Why should I fear a bullet? Look at the power I command!" he exclaimed, before extending his wrist.

In a similar fashion to when Raptorius killed Hades, or when Percy killed Poseidon, from Mobius's arm extended several purple tendrils of pure energy, which wrapped around all of the Gods, and an evil smirk drew across his lips as he looked back at them.

"Say your last words to your progenitors, Half-Bloods!" he exclaimed, before the energy dissolved each of the Gods in unison, and pulled them into Mobius's wrist.

"Mother!" Annabeth exclaimed, rushing at Mobius, trying her damndest to stop him, but it was too late. The harvest was complete, and Mobius's rear-arm collided with Annabeth's face, sending her half-way across the room.

"Now then, since you two are here, and since you seem so curious, would you like to see what all of this was for?" he asked, his face returning to an eerie calm.

"It doesn't matter, you're a dead man." Percy barked, as Annabeth pulled herself up, keeping her gun trained on Mobius, her face an undoubted contortion of rage and hatred.

"Well, well…we can't have talk like that. I'm afraid you two vastly overestimate your position." He spoke, his wrist glowing again, a line of purple light enveloping both of them, their color remaining intact, but lined with a purple edge. It…compelled them to keep their guns aimed, but also forced them to turn and face each other…ensuring that Percy and Annabeth, were staring down the barrels of each other's guns.

"Annabeth!" Percy cried out, gritting his teeth as he struggled against the field. "I…can't…move!"

"I…can't either!" she called back, trying desperately to point the gun away from Percy, as Mobius's evil grin returned.

"Now that I've ensured you two will not be a problem…I'd like to introduce you to Olympus's true function!"

Mobius stood at the foot of Zeus's throne, accessing the same console Annabeth remembered Percy messing with the last time he was there.

This time, however, the essences of the Gods flowed from his wrist and into the green data stream, and it was then that the Pantheon began to shake.

The Thrones of the Gods descended into the floor, and the room's walls began to collapse, as what looked like a massive beam of light emerged from the floor, and jutted up into the skies, to Zeus-knows how high up.

"Perseus, Annabeth, allow me to introduce…the Tower of Athalus! The most dangerous weapon in existence!"

"Weapon?!" The two exclaimed at once, still struggling against their bonds.

"Correct, dear children. It was built almost sixty millennia ago by a long-lost species. It uses technology unthinkably complex, even by today's modern standards. It can annihilate an entire race, based on the thought patterns of the person accessing it."

"This…this is what all of this was…for? All those dead…all of the Gods…for this?" Annabeth asked, her voice disbelieving.

"You know far less than you believe, dear girl!" Mobius exclaimed, a hint of anger entering his tone. "The Invid are coming, Percy. You know that. You think they can be defeated? You think that the humans…or anyone else can triumph against them? This is not a battle mortals can win! The Tower is our only hope!" 

"You…weren't trying…to save…anyone. You wanted…revenge." Percy scowled, having given up on escaping the bonds that forced him to keep his gun aimed at Annabeth.

"And that's only part of it. I will save this galaxy from the Invid, and then I will avenge the death of my Empire by exacting revenge on the races that destroyed us!" Mobius yelled, pacing around the pair.

"But, before that…I must decide what to do with you two." He looked them over.

"Let…us…go." Annabeth demanded, her tone barely-containing her anger.

Mobius laughed heartily, keeping his gun close to his side, as he eyed the two over like a predator.

"That would be quite foolish, I think. I cannot indoctrinate Perseus, and you will prove likely quite as difficult, Annabeth. That only leaves me with one choice, really…" he trailed off, and the horror of what he intended dawned on them.

Right as the purple field compelled the two to shoot each other in the gut.

Mobius smirked victoriously, as he crossed his arms, and stepped behind Percy.

However, he wasn't expecting what was coming next. The shot Annabeth had been forced to fire at him had hit him…but it also broke the field.

While Mobius's back was turned, with one hand clutching at the wound from Raptorius's sword that that shot had just re-opened, Percy grabbed his gun, and fired every shot in the clip into Mobius's back.

Mobius's eyes widened, and he draped an arm across his gut, falling to his knees on the Pantheon floor, as Percy and Annabeth deliberately moved toward him, adrenaline allowing them to ignore the feeling of the shot wounds they had.

Mobius laid on the ground, blood slowly pooling around him, the same haughty smirk still on his lips, as his skin began to pale.

"Your arrogance costs you your life, Mobius." Percy said simply, placing a hand at Mobius's side.

Mobius chuckled, looking them over, his red eyes having lost a little of their glow.

"So it seems…I would not be the first Chalrus Emperor killed by ones so young…but it seems I will be the last." He laughed at the irony, clutching at his wounds, his eyes drawing to the beam before them. The Tower of Athalus.

"I know what you're going to do, Perseus. You will use the Tower's strength…you will waste it…destroying a people already confined to a death sentence."

"The Invid aren't real, Mobius. You used them simply to help indoctrinate me." Percy declared, Annabeth remaining silent, but a look of utter contempt on her face as she glanced at Mobius.

Mobius laughed again, taking hold of Percy's hand, and grinning maliciously at him.

"You have less than ten minutes…we'll see how real they are…" he paused, coughing up blood, and looking at them again.

"Claim your prize…destroy my people. Finish us off. Just…don't say you were not warned…" he trailed off, as his eyes fell into the back of his head, and his body went limp.

In a single instant, the two of them felt a massive weight be lifted from their hearts and minds. Emperor Mobius, the man who'd spent the last few weeks terrorizing them, and destroying both the Olympian world, and their own…was dead.

"It's not over yet…" Annabeth trailed off, looking at the green beam of light before them.

The two then looked past Mobius's body, and over to the Tower of Athalus. It hardly seemed like a tower, just a beam of energy. A beam that clearly required the very essences of the Gods themselves to become fully active.

"What do we do?" Percy looked to Annabeth, who seemed lost in thought.

"I…I don't know…" Annabeth admitted, standing herself up and extending a hand to Percy, the both of them clutching at their wounds.

"What if Mobius was right…and we can use this to end this?" Percy asked, looking to her, and slowly stepping forward.

Annabeth placed a hand on his shoulder, stopping him, and looking sternly into his eyes.

"No Percy…we do this together." She smiled, and met his gaze.

For an all-too brief moment, her grey eyes met his green, and they shared a long, deep kiss…a kiss that they, somewhere deep inside them, knew would be final.

Taking hold of each other's hand, they stepped toward the beam, concentrating their thoughts on destroying the Chalrus armies that continued to wage war in the streets below, and even right outside, as they could still hear the gunfire as they stepped closer to the light.

True to the feeling they both had in their gut, as soon as they came into contact with the beam, Percy and Annabeth both slowly began to disintegrate.

They both had a shared feeling that whatever this beam would give them would cost them their lives…so they wrapped each other in an embrace they prayed would last forever.

As they felt each other began to fade away, they knew that they would fade together. The beam began to glow even brighter, as their last traces were consumed.

"I love you, Percy…" Annabeth breathed one last time, before the beam finished her off, consuming the last bit of her body.

"I love you too, Annabeth…" Percy spoke, as he too faded away, at nearly the same time she did, the two final sentiments almost overlapping.

Far below them, in the streets of New York City, and all over the world, battles continued to rage in the streets. MN and the world's military forces fought the Chalrus armies valiantly.

In New York in particular, the fighting was at its worst near the ruins of Grand Central Terminal. MN and American soldiers held deep, entrenched lines, and the Chalrus were relying on their Battlepods and mechs to push forward.

As their gunfire filled their air, and bullets panged from every visible surface…the final sacrifice of the last Half-Bloods was about to make itself known.

From the very top of Olympus, a bright light shot forth like a shockwave, spreading all throughout New York City.

Soldiers of all sides who saw it coming ducked their heads, not sure what it was. However, when it passed…its effects became completely clear.

The Chalrus Imperial Army was…dissolving. Chalrus soldiers were literally being turned to dust from inside their armored suits, leaving their plates of metal behind, and nothing else…as if they'd never been worn at all.

After this pulse had circled the entire Earth, it came flooding back to Olympus…only to be shot out again…this time into space.

Admiral Grissom and his men could only watch in complete disbelief, as the Chalrus ships stopped firing entirely…stopped moving at all, as each ship's crew disappeared into nothing, one by one.

Grand Admiral Khyron looked out his window, and was terrified.

"They can't….the Tower's malfunctioned! It's targeting US! All Chalrus ships, evacua-" Khyron was cut-off mid-sentence, as the pulse overwhelmed his ship, making him disappear right out of his Admiral's uniform.

With the Chalrus Imperial forces decimated, the pulse simply carried off into space, destined to eventually thin to absolute nothingness.

On Earth, civilians and soldiers alike cheered, waved their guns and celebrated the destruction of the Chalrus…even as the battered, useless hulk that was Olympus, began to crumble.

With the Tower having been used, and its purpose completed, Olympus's façade began to fall apart, and the entirety of it collapsed into the massive, ruined cityscape below.

It didn't matter anymore. All the Gods were dead, all the Half-Bloods were dead, or had been harvested by the Chalrus. And now…Olympus could rest with them.

In orbit, Admiral Grissom's ship, along with every other ship in the MN fleet was filled with cheering, as Grissom simply sat back down with a smile.

"Alright boys, we've got a hell of a…" he was cut off, however…by the flashing of emergency lights.

"Sir, we're picking up massive atomic activity on the edge of Earth's orbit!" an officer shouted.

"It's the Invid, sir!" Another officer declared.

Sure enough, just as Mobius promised Percy and Annabeth before his death…the Invid's Symphony of Light arrived as a brilliant, yellow beam of light.

Admiral Grissom's eyes widened in horror, as he watched the light tear through every single ship in its way, on its route down to Earth, where it spread out, and began bombarding the entire world.

The major cities of Earth were all destroyed utterly in a single, terrifying wave of light that melted them down completely.

Admiral Grissom put his cap back on, and looked over the screens. Secondary flashes of light were tearing through his armada.

"All MN forces, The Invid have arrived in this system! Regroup and counter-attack! I repeat, consolidate and attack!"

It would prove a useless attempt, however. Within three days, MN would sustain nearly 40% losses, and be forced to retreat…to abandon Earth, and the human race, to its fate.

The Invid, meanwhile, would need only a month to subjugate the entire planet…and so…the harvest would truly begin.

The people of New York City, watched in horror, as the Invid descended upon their world, shooting through the sky like shooting stars off in the distance…millions of them.

They could see the ruins of Olympus…of a world that no longer existed. And then it dawned on them. This was not merely the fall of Western Civilization…or even Civilization in general...

This was the fall of humanity…


	22. Author's Note

A/N: Hey guys, quick update. I've just launched the revised sequel to Seasons of War, check it out!


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